Son of a Savior
by GCatsPjs
Summary: Installment #11 of the "Saint in the Shadows" legacy fic series. All of your favorite characters! B&B A&A G&J ... What kind of trouble has Parker found himself in? Can our heroes help him?
1. Second Opinion

**Hello, Folks. Welcome to Installment #11 in the Saint in the Shadows fic series- Son of a Savior**

**For those of you unfamiliar with the series, it is an AU B&B 'Legacy' fic Series. I would recommend reading the other 10 stories at your leisure, but if you don't have time for that, you can pick it up just about anywhere, and the characters are fairly self explanatory... but you'll appreciate the flashbacks and the character's past if you read them... So please enjoy... and comment at your convenience, because reviews and comments are very important to my muse, and to ensure that the story is still working. Stories in order are as follows:  
**

**1\. Saint in the Shadows**

**2\. Spaces in Between**

**3\. Shades of Grace**

**4\. Shadows in the Sun**

**5\. Saints, Sinners, and Saviors**

**6\. Something is Lost**

**7\. Space in the Soul**

**8\. So It Goes**

**9\. Sense of Danger**

**10\. Sacrifice of Spirit**

**11\. Son of a Savior**

* * *

**(Approximately six months from our last adventure)**

**10:00am- Thursday, July 11th**

The lab doors opened, and the sound of two FBI issue shoes could be heard marching across the floor amid the other movement around the lab. They moved purposefully and deftly toward the platform, pausing for a moment.

"Doctor Booth." He said, announcing his presence, he could tell by the way that she lifted the bone in her hand and her pause that she had heard him.

"Agent Fitzgerald, it's about time." She stated, her voice was deep and full of concentration. Her eyes lifted to his when he said nothing. "We believe that we have cause of death."

"This couldn't have been done by phone?" He asked, lifting an eyebrow.

She stared at him, her eyes boring into him for a moment as she waited for him to break, which he refused her. He hadn't however, expected the firm pat on his back as Charlie walked past him and up the platform steps. "Hey, Fitz." He said, scanning his card. "It's been a while."

Aiden had jumped a little at the contact, his eyes moving to Charlie who grinned at him. "Damn it, Charlie." He muttered.

"I win." Antonia grinned. "I asked you over here because I want you to take a look at a few things for me. I want your opinion." She said, lifting an eyebrow.

"I'm not a squint." He said, taking a step onto the platform, he scanned his card and walked toward her. "Why are you asking me? Where is Doctor Brennan?" He pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket and snapped them on, watching her smile of satisfaction at training him properly.

"First of all, I asked you for help because you are point on this investigation, and secondly, because I know that you have at least a rudimentary knowledge of anatomy and physiology."

"Rudimentary?" He muttered.

"Who has their doctorate?" She asked haughtily.

"You're so mean to him." Charlie said from the other side of the table.

"Thank you, Charlie." He said, glancing to Antonia. "See that? It's not just my imagination." He said with a smile. She glared at him and he cleared his throat. "Go on." He mumbled.

"And Doctor Brennan is currently busy in the conference room with our new wave of interns." Antonia sighed.

"Right." He nodded. "You mentioned that was happening today."

"So, I thought perhaps you could assist me." She said, carefully lifting the clavicle from the set of remains in front of her. She stared at the bone carefully for several seconds and placed it down. "Mr. Morris has helped me with some preliminary findings, but I'd like an outside opinion." She said, looking into his eyes, she watched him smile back at her.

"Okay, Doctor Booth. Show me what you have." He said, moving to her side, she began to explain her predicament.

* * *

Temperance had just finished her brief overview of the lab, its rules of conduct and procedures with the six interns seated before her. It had been a long morning, but she was confident that the young scientists before her were up for the task ahead, and would work out nicely for future investigations.

Her eyes moved over the interns, four young men, and two young women, all eager and happy to get started. "We will have one intern be the on point intern each week, and the rest of you will be working in tandem in different areas of the lab. Some will be working with Doctor Hodgins in entomology and botany, some will be working with Angela Montenegro with reconstruction and identification, and some of you will be working with Cam Saroyan for autopsy. Doctor Booth and myself are involved in all areas of the lab, and will need assistance as well, and we do have several interns that are working on their doctorate, that will be available for mentorship as well. The schedule will be available by the end of the day." She said, looking up at the sound of a knock at her door, she glanced to the door and Charlie looked in, a bit embarrassed. "Yes, Mr. Morris."

"I apologize for interrupting. Doctor Booth and Agent Fitzgerald would like to see you." He said politely. "It's case related." He said, just being sure that she knew it was a professional request and not of a personal nature.

"Thank you, Mr. Morris." Temperance said, watching the door close behind him, she turned toward the interns and smiled slightly. "You may all accompany me to the platform." She said, stepping to the door, she walked out into the lab and quickly scanned the room, noting Antonia and Aiden standing at the platform having a mildly heated, but quiet conversation. "Doctor Booth? Agent Fitzgerald?" She said, stepping toward the platform, she glanced behind her to see that her interns were still following. Aiden and Antonia looked over at her, and then exchanged a look, both of their lips curling to a smirk as they both stifled the 'duckling' joke that they were both thinking.

"Yes, Doctor Brennan. I was conferring with Agent Fitzgerald on the indicators of the bone, and he agrees that the bone seems to indicate signs of bone marrow toxicity." Antonia explained.

"And based on the age of the victim, which is between 30 and 35 years old, osteoporosis wouldn't likely be something that he'd have. We're going to look into possible poisoning. Arsenic or other heavy metals can cause this type of degeneration in the bone marrow." Aiden explained, watching Temperance's lip curl to a slight smile. "I mean, you… they…Doctor Booth is going to look into possible poisoning." He stammered, he glanced to Antonia and her smile matched her mother. He turned back to Temperance and sighed slightly, a smile playing at his own lips.

"Very good, Agent Fitzgerald, Doctor Booth, and Mr. Morris." She said, watching Charlie glance up from the computer screen where he had been working. She turned toward her students, who were all watching carefully. "This is Special Agent Fitzgerald with the FBI. He works very closely with the Jeffersonian, and I believe this is the first case that you've been lead on, is that correct?" She asked, looking back to Aiden.

"Yes, Ma'am." Aiden said, watching Temperance's humored glare.

"You will all see him often, I'm sure, as he is typically with Agent Booth and Agent Harding, who should be here in about an hour." She said with a sigh as she glanced to her watch. She looked up to see Angela stepping out of her office. "Let's go see if our reconstruction is complete." She said, walking briskly toward Angela, each of her interns falling into line as they made their way toward Angela's office.

* * *

Aiden watched the parade of interns as they each stepped into Angela's office and he let out a humored chuckle. He turned to see Antonia was still looking at the skeleton. "Hey, did you need me for anything else?" He asked, watching her set the bone down and look up at him with a slight smile.

"Just like looking at you." She said with a playful wink, watching him roll his eyes playfully. "Right, Charlie?"

"Yep. Good looking FBI agent over there." Charlie said, not looking up from his computer.

"Okay. I'm going back to the office." He said with a laugh. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Antonia said at the same time as Charlie, and they both let out a laugh.

Aiden let out a laugh and shook his head. "You two are ridiculous. I was thinking of taking M&M to the diner for lunch today. I'll be by to pick them up, and I'll check in to see if you're available." He said, stepping over toward the table, she watched him for a moment.

"I'll try to free up some time." She said. "Have a good morning."

"You too." He said, taking a step backward. "Let me know what you find out with the bone marrow test."

"You got it, Fitz." She said, pointing a finger gun at him, she laughed, when he did the same.

"Later, Tex." He said, laughing as he stepped down off the platform, and made his way out of the lab.


	2. Big Sister, Protector

**12:30pm Thursday, July 11th-**

Aiden swung open the diner door and ushered Melody inside, pulling the stroller with Max in behind her. He watched the little girl dodge a few people on the way to their usual table, laughing when she nearly climbed between one man's legs when he wouldn't move out of her way. He turned the small umbrella stroller and weaved his way through the crowd, watching the little blond haired girl as she reached her destination and hopped onto her chair, moving quickly toward the window to look out onto the street. He smiled as he moved toward the table, watching the little girl's blue eyes turn in his direction.

"Where's mommy?" She signed.

"She said she would be over soon." He replied, watching her heave a heavy sigh. "You know she will be here if she says she will be here. Don't be a gloomy Gus." He signed, turning toward the stroller, he positioned Max so that the stroller was facing him. He made a face at the little boy, who let out a squealing laugh at his silly daddy. "Yeah, you think that's funny?" he laughed, tickling the baby. He looked up at Melody as she knelt on her chair, her attention still focused on the street outside. He reached over and tapped her hand, watching her blonde curls bob as she turned to look at him. "Sit in your chair, please. Mommy will be here soon." He signed. She pushed her lower lip out at him, a pout that would make a weaker man tremble. "Please?" He signed, reaching forward to push her lip back in, he lifted an eyebrow at her. She finally plopped down in the seat and rested her elbows on the table, her face in her hands as she looked across at him. "How is daycare going today?" He asked.

"It's okay. Max slept a lot this morning." She signed, looking over the table at her baby brother who was tapping his hands against Aiden's hand. "He woke up a couple of times and had a bottle once." She explained.

"Okay, so that's how Max was doing at daycare. What did you do?" Aiden asked.

"I waited for him to wake up." She signed.

"Mel, you don't have to watch over your brother. He'll be okay. You can play with the other children." He said, something he had been saying for weeks since school had ended and she joined Max in daycare.

"I don't want him to be lonely." She replied, resting her head in her hands again, she swung her legs back and forth and watched Aiden watch her carefully. She could see the look of concern in his eyes, and it bothered her that he wasn't happy. "Maybe next week?" She signed, tipping her head to signify the question she was asking, she watched a slow smile rising on his lips.

"I just want you to try." He replied. "For me." He glanced out the window and then to his watch. "That mommy is running behind!" He signed, with wide eyes and a silly face. She giggled at him and looked out the window too, then her attention went to the other people in the diner. She scanned the faces slowly, her memory catching each and every nuance of the people around them. She noticed there were a group of people at the counter that had just come in, and they kept looking in their direction. She reached across the table, tapping it lightly in front of Aiden, capturing his attention.

"Why do those people keep looking at us?" She signed, eyeing her baby brother, to make sure he was in safe hands.

Aiden looked to where she was referring, and recognized the two women from earlier in the day. They, along with the four young men at the counter were the interns that Temperance had been leading around. He turned to his daughter and smiled. "They work with Nana and Mommy." He signed. "I think they just recognize Daddy, and probably think you're a pretty girl, and that your brother is a handsome little guy."

Melody's response was a quick shake of her head, and a smile. She looked back out the window, and then turned her attention back to Aiden.

"Agent Fitzgerald?" One of the women said as she stepped over toward them, her eyes on the baby in the stroller for a moment. "I'm Ruth Davies, one of Doctor Brennan's interns." She said, pushing her dark hair back from her ear, she smiled. "Are these your kids? They're adorable." She said with a smile, her eyes focusing on the baby in the stroller. She didn't even see the scowl on the little girl's face across the table.

"Yes." He said, politely. "This is Max." He said, watching the young woman as she crouched down and tried to get a smile out of the baby. "That over there is Melody." He said, looking over to see the narrowed eyes of his daughter. He was pretty sure she was about three seconds away from a fit. "She's pretty protective of her brother, so… probably not a good idea if you get too touchy with him." He said, trying to be subtle about the impending eruption.

"Oh, that's so cute." She smiled, standing up. "So, how old are you?" She asked with an overly saccharine voice, clearly having not noticed that she and Aiden had been signing.

"How old are you?" Melody signed back, glancing to Aiden, he tried to stifle a laugh, but failed.

"Oh my, she's deaf? I didn't even realize." The intern giggled.

"She's six." Aiden said. "And she can read lips, so it's fine." He could see the wheels turning in the little girl's mind and shook his head. "Don't be fresh." He signed to Melody, watching the corner of the little girl's lip lift in a rueful smile, that he was sure that she had somehow gotten from Antonia. "Please be a lady." He signed. Aiden was so distracted by the intern, that he hadn't seen Antonia come into the diner.

"Mama!" Melody squeaked out as she knelt on her chair, just as Antonia's hands touched Aiden's shoulders.

He looked up and grinned at her. "Hey, there you are." Aiden said.

"There's my girl." Antonia smiled at Melody, blowing her a kiss across the table, she then gave Aiden's shoulder a little squeeze. "Is everyone behaving?" She asked, signing for Melody to sit in her chair.

"As well as can be expected." He laughed. "Antonia, you met Ruth Davies, one of your mom's interns." He said, watching Antonia smile tightly. "She was just introducing herself to us." He said, watching that rueful smile that he was just thinking about appear.

"Doctor Booth." Ruth said, her cheeks turning red as she smiled, clearly a bit embarrassed.

"Yes. I've met all of the interns. It's nice to see you, Ms. Davies." Antonia said, leaning down to unbuckle Max from the stroller. The baby was squeaking in excitement at his mother's presence. "Oh, my cuddle monster. I missed you." She mumbled into the baby's dark hair as she kissed his head and held him close as she walked around the other side of the table, sitting next to Melody, who wrapped her arms around her Mama, and planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek. The baby settled in her lap and immediately reached for the silverware, and Melody plopped back down in her chair.

"Well, it was um, nice to formally meet you, Agent Fitzgerald." Ruth smiled, glancing to Antonia and Melody.

"Aiden." He said, shaking her hand. "We're not at a crime scene, or at the lab. Aiden is fine."

"It's nice to meet you, Aiden." She said with a smile, she glanced to Antonia. "Doctor Booth, it was nice to see you again." She said, giving a slight wave, she quickly walked back to the counter to the other interns.

Aiden watched Antonia follow the intern back with her eyes, the baby bouncing on her knee lightly as she continued to watch them. "You really don't like new interns, do you?" he asked.

She turned her attention to him and a slow smile rose on her lips. "They don't bother me." She said with a shrug. She looked up as the waitress brought them their usual lunch and placed it on the table before them. She smiled her thanks and glanced back to Aiden. "I just prefer that they know their place in the food chain." She said, reaching over to Melody's plate of grilled cheese before the little girl grabbed it. "Please eat slowly. You are not a starving grizzly bear." She signed to Melody, who giggled and nodded as she wiggled her fingers for her sandwich. "It's hot, give it a second."

"You took to Charlie pretty well." Aiden replied.

"That's because Charles knows his place on the food chain. Charles also doesn't flirt shamelessly with my partner." Antonia pointed out, eying Aiden.

"If I do recall, I am fairly certain that he called me 'good looking' this morning, and told me that he loves me. What that intern was doing, was not flirting. She was just being polite." He said, watching Antonia shake her head. "You think she was flirting?"

"Absolutely." Antonia replied.

"And you're jealous?" Aiden asked, watching her shake her head. "You're not jealous?"

"I have no reason to be jealous. I'm... content, and happy... and a little hungry." She said with a smile.

"Mmhm." He said, watching the baby as he wiggled his fingers and grunted, looking up at Antonia. "He's probably hungry too." He said, reaching for the baby's bottle in his diaper bag. He looked up and watched Max flex his fingers.

"Did he just sign 'Milk'?" Antonia asked, watching the baby's hand wiggle again.

"No." Aiden laughed. "Did he?"

Melody tapped Antonia's hand as she reached for the bottle when Aiden handed it across the table. "Milk." She signed to Max, and the baby mimicked it.

"He did say milk." Antonia laughed. "Look at that, it's his first word." She said, putting the bottle in the baby's mouth, she leaned down to kiss Melody's head as she let out a laugh. She pulled the little girl's sandwich close to her, and they began to eat.

Antonia was watching Aiden across the table as they ate, his green eyes sparkling back at her, she swallowed and took a sip of her water. "What?" She asked.

"Nothing." He shrugged. "Just feeling lucky."

Antonia shifted slightly as she balanced the baby and her lunch. "You are lucky. It looked like little miss big sister was going to blow a gasket if that intern got any closer to Max."

"I did warn her." He shrugged. "She's still standing guard at daycare, by the way." He said, watching Melody's blue eyes reading his lips, she looked back to her sandwich and continued her lunch. "You keep saying she'll get bored, but every week it's the same thing."

"There are worst things to be than overprotective of your sibling. She'll find a friend soon." Antonia shrugged. "Speaking of siblings, Parker asked if we could watch the boys tonight. He has a date. Do you mind?"

"He has another date? He's really getting around." Aiden said playfully, taking a bite of his cheeseburger, he watched Antonia shake her head.

"I think it's the same woman." Antonia let out a giggle. "He doesn't seem to tell anyone anything." She shrugged. "I should be out of the lab at the normal time, and Parker said he'll drop them off at the Jeffersonian."

"How is the reconstruction going?" Aiden asked, watching as Antonia lifted the baby to her shoulder and gently patted his back.

"Nearly complete. You should have something to run through Missing Persons in an hour or two." She said. She held the baby up and looked into his eyes, eyes that were beginning to look so much like his daddy's, and she smiled. "I am just gonna quit my job at the lab and go full time cuddling you." She said to the baby, bringing him to her lips, she pressed her lips on him to tickle him, and he giggled and squealed. "What do you think? Huh? Cuddles all day." She laughed as he grabbed her hair as he laughed. "Okay, okay." She laughed, prying his fingers from her hair, she turned him so he was sitting on her lap again and leaned down again to kiss the little blonde headed girl beside her. He could see the amusement in Aiden's eyes. "You know I would." She said, kissing the baby's brown hair, she grinned against him and rocked him as they quietly continued their lunch.


	3. Setting Things Up

**Thursday, July 11th- 5:30pm-**

Parker pulled the SUV into the parking garage slowly, glancing to his sons in the rearview mirror. "So what do we say when Aunt Toni grills you about what daddy is doing tonight?" He asked, a smirk on his lips.

"We tell her that it's none of her beeswax." Nate said with a proud grin.

"And we tell her that she'll never, ever, ever find out." Luke said, shaking his head vigorously. "Wait." He said suddenly. "What are you doing tonight, daddy?" He asked.

"None of your beeswax!" He exclaimed with a laugh as he pulled into the parking space beside Antonia's car. He parked the car and climbed from his seat, noticing that she was moving a few things around in the SUV. He stepped up beside her and watched her for a moment.

"Hey." She said from the seat, pulling out the bottom of a cheeseburger bun from the car as she made a face. She turned around and faced her brother. "Did you ever realize how absolutely disgusting children are?" She asked, tossing the bun into the plastic bag in her hand. "I don't even remember the last time Melody had a burger back there. I feel like I should be wearing latex gloves and a hazmat suit."

"I've had kids a few years longer than you, Toni. They're unapologetically gross." Parker chuckled. "You need help with anything?"

"Nah. I'm just moving car seats around. I moved Melody's booster seat and found a treasure trove of junk." She sighed. "Aiden is taking Mel and Max home, and I get the boys." She said with a smile. "Have they eaten?"

"Nope, they said they are looking forward to your grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner." Parker said with a smile. They stepped toward his SUV.

"That sounds good to me." She said, opening the back seat of Parker's car, the boys piled out and each gave Antonia a hug before they climbed into her car and into their seats. "Buckle up, boys." She said, closing the door. "So." She said, lifting an eyebrow to her brother, he caught the look in her eyes and almost let out a laugh at how much she looked like Temperance. "Where are you going tonight?" She asked conspiratorially.

"I'm not telling you." He laughed.

"What if there's an emergency and I need to find you?" She asked.

"Then call my cell phone. I won't be out of range." He said, walking toward the other side of his car.

"What if your cell phone dies?" She asked.

"It's fully charged." He replied. "Thank you for watching them. I'll be at your house at about eleven to pick them up."

"So not an overnight, huh? You haven't gotten that far with her? Are you guys at the smooching phase yet?"

"Toni." He said, trying to sound irritated, but he laughed and climbed into his SUV. "You're starting to sound like Grace."

"Don't insult me!" She exclaimed watching her brother laugh. "Not cool, big brother!" She said, laughing as she waved as he pulled from the space. She climbed into her car and buckled herself in, glancing to the two boys in the back seat. "Are you guys all buckled in?" She asked, watching them nod their heads. "Are you guys ready to go?" She asked.

"Yes!" they both exclaimed.

"Are you ready for some world famous Auntie T Grilled cheese?" She asked.

"Yeah!" They shouted again.

"Okay, then tell me where your daddy is going tonight, and we'll go." She grinned.

"None of your beeswax!" They both exclaimed, giggling at Antonia's slack jaw expression.

"You don't know either, do you?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Nope." Luke giggled. "Daddy doesn't tell us anyway."

"Well let's get us to my house for some food and fun." She sighed, winking at the two boys. "We'll interrogate daddy when he comes to pick you guys up."

"Yeah!" They exclaimed excitedly, and Antonia pulled from her space, and made her way out of the parking garage.

* * *

**6:45pm-**

Parker pulled his SUV up to the building where his date lived, waiting patiently for a moment as he was a few minutes early. He checked his phone for any messages from Antonia and then climbed from the seat. He quickly climbed the steps, running his hand through his hair to make sure it was all in place, and rang the doorbell, waiting patiently for his date to come to the door. When the door opened, he was greeted with a smile from the woman who opened it. "You're early." She smiled.

"I was raised to be punctual, and polite." He said, handing her the rose that he had hidden behind his back, her smile became even brighter.

"Parker." She said with a smile. "You didn't have to do that." She said with a smile. "Come inside. I'm almost ready." She said, taking a step back, she allowed him into the apartment, and closed the door behind him.

* * *

6:45pm-

"Booth, what are you doing?" Temperance asked, looking over her husband's shoulder as he sat at their dining room table reading through a folder. "Is that Aiden's case file?"

"Maybe." He muttered, continuing to look it over. "I'm just making sure he doesn't forget anything."

"Booth, Aiden is a capable agent. Why do you insist on scrutinizing everything he does? I don't think he'd be very pleased if he knew that you were looking through his case file."

"I don't care what pleases Aiden." Booth muttered, turning the page. "This is his first case on his own. I'm his superior, and I'm the one that trained him. I need to make sure that he hasn't missed anything."

"You are aware that Antonia is working on the case with him, correct?" She asked, leaning on the table slightly. "Do you think for one moment that anything is going to slip past your daughter?"

Booth looked up at Temperance and watched her eyes for a moment. He admired her arched eyebrow, and her slight head shake. "You're beautiful." He said. Just as he said it, she reached forward and grabbed the file folder from his hand. "Hey! I was reading that!"

"Well, now you're through reading it. It's time for dinner." She said, tossing the folder onto the counter behind her.

"Has anyone told you that you're mean?" He muttered, glancing to Temperance and back to the folder.

"Every day." She said with a slight smile. "It's how I know that I am doing things right." She said, leaning down to kiss his cheek. "Let's go to the diner for dinner. I don't feel like cooking."

"You got it." He said, smiling as he kissed her back before they left for dinner.


	4. Enjoying Company

8:00pm-

Parker walked into the small Italian restaurant with his date on his arm, announcing his reservation to the host as they stepped forward and were led to their table. He politely pulled her chair out for her and then moved to his side of the table, a bit of nervousness in his actions, but still gentlemanly and without complaint. She smiled demurely at him and shook her head, pulling the wrap on her shoulders just a little tighter.

"Parker, this is our fourth date. You really don't have to do all of the door opening, and seat pulling." She laughed lightly.

"It's important to me that you feel special. Do those things make you feel special, or do they make you feel like I think you're helpless? I don't want you to think that I think that you're helpless, or whatever." He stammered slightly, watching her smile and shake her head. "I'm sorry. It's really been a long time since I've been out on a fourth date." He laughed nervously as he sat down in his own chair.

"It makes me feel special, but you really don't have to." She replied.

"This is a pointless conversation, because I'm just going to keep on doing it." He laughed and shrugged, lifting his menu up at the sound of her laugh in his ears.

"So how are your boys?" She asked, taking a look at the menu, she perused it as she watched his dark eyes lift to hers.

"They're doing well. I picked them up at daycare and they were full of questions as usual. They are staying with my sister this evening." Parker said, looking up at her.

"Is that where they usually stay when you go out?" She asked, watching his eyes narrow slightly as he smirked playfully. "What? You always let me talk about myself, and I hardly know anything about you other than your wife died a little over two years ago, and that you have two rambunctious little boys." She said seriously. "Tell me about your sister."

Parker was a little surprised by her boldness, but encouraged just the same. "Well, I actually have two sisters. Two half-sisters, both younger than me. The one the boys are staying with tonight is the older of the two. She's a doctor."

"What kind of doctor is she?" She asked, watching his eyes lift to the waiter as he approached their table. The waiter took their orders for drinks and their dinner, and they settled back into their seats as he walked away. She noticed that Parker's attention was not completely there, and decided to pull him back. "What kind of doctor is your sister?" She asked, tipping her head.

"Well, she's an anthropologist." He said, nodding his head resolutely, hoping that he didn't have to go into detail about her job. The last thing he wanted to do was try to explain to a woman he was interested in what his sister did. "And she's an entomologist." He said, watching her nod her head curiously. "And…"

"And?" She laughed.

"She's also a botanist. I prefer to call her an overachiever." He grinned. "Really though, she's probably one of the smartest people that I know." He chuckled.

"So, is your other sister a rocket scientist, or a brain surgeon?" She laughed.

"No." He chuckled. Actually, she's a Metro cop." He said with a shrug. "I suppose you could call her the underachiever." He laughed. "I'm kidding. She's really good at her job, and she's pretty smart too, just not insane smart like Toni is." He laughed.

"So, your one sister's name is Toni?" She laughed, noticing Parker's cheeks turn pink at his reveal, he laughed nervously. "Why don't you like to talk about your family? It seems like you get along very well with them."

"Our family is extremely tight knit." He said, nodding slightly. "I just prefer to keep them out of my personal life if I can. They're respectful, but extremely protective. I don't want to have to put you through that just yet." He laughed.

"What do they know about me?" She asked, leaning her arm on the table as she watched Parker's dark eyes dart to the table and back up to her.

"Nothing. They know nothing." He said, shrugging. "It's not a reflection on you." He defended quickly. "And honestly, I've been on the verge a few times of giving them some information. It's actually pretty fun watching them squirm a bit." He laughed, watching her genuine smile. "I mean, I give the boys very little information too. They're young, and they wouldn't understand that their old dad is just looking for someone to spend some time with. They only kind of remember their mom, and since she died, it has been mostly them and me, and my family. Would you be interested in meeting them sometime?" He asked, watching her smile slowly appear, he reached his hand across the table, hoping that she would take it.

"I would love to meet them." She said happily, taking his hand in hers, she squeezed his hand tightly as they continued their conversation and their dinner.

* * *

8:00pm- Fitzgerald Residence

"I'm gonna get you! Ahh!" Nate exclaimed as he ran after his brother, with Melody in pursuit of both boys as they ran around the gate enclosure in the middle of the living room that was set up for Max when he was downstairs. Aiden was sitting on the floor with his laptop in the middle of the enclosure, typing and looking a few things up for work, when Antonia came down the stairs to see the scene before her.

"Nobody is getting anyone!" She exclaimed, trying not to be too loud. Luke stopped short and Nate and Melody both ran into him, sending them to the floor in a pile as they laughed. "Hey, good babysitting here, buddy." She said to Aiden as he looked up from his laptop.

"Nobody is bleeding, or broken, or playing with matches." He shrugged, still looking at his computer. He looked up and smiled sheepishly at her glare.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes as the kids giggled. "Alright, you ragamuffins." She said, helping them to their feet. "Max is sleeping now, so you're going to have to find something quiet to watch on the television, or a quiet board game, or a quiet book to read…" She said and signed, watching the kids giggle.

"I sense a theme." Aiden muttered from his enclosure.

"That's enough from the peanut gallery." Antonia said, listening to the children giggle. "Go on, find a quiet thing to do, because if you wake up the baby, you're going to have to deal with me." She said, lifting an eyebrow as the kids quietly scattered. Once they were all in their quiet corners doing their own thing, Antonia climbed over the gate enclosure and sat down in front of Aiden. "You've been busy all night."

"Just doing some research on murders involving poison, and a little paperwork." He said, looking up at her, he smiled and closed the laptop, setting it down beside him. He scooted back and leaned his back against the recliner chair that was within the enclosure. "I think this baby cage thing is the best thing we've ever purchased." He said, a bright grin on his face as she laughed. "It keeps the riff-raff out." He laughed, nodding toward the kids as they played.

"You're ridiculous." She giggled, moving toward him, she kissed his cheek and leaned against him. "I think am going to have to stay home tomorrow, at least in the morning."

"Why?" Aiden asked, tipping his head forward to see her face, he could see her sigh.

"The baby has a low grade fever. It could be an ear infection, or teething. He has a little bit of snot, so it could just be a cold. I gave him something to help the fever, but I should take him in just to have him checked out. I can keep Melody with me too. There's no sense in bringing her to daycare if I'm home." She shrugged.

"I think going to daycare without Max might actually be good for her." Aiden replied, glancing over to the little girl as she sat with a book in her hands. "She doesn't even attempt to interact with the other children."

"Well, lucky you." Antonia said, giving him a nudge. "You get to be the one to tell her tomorrow that she's going to daycare without her baby brother." She said, laughing out loud as he tickled her side, sending her into gales of laughter that were quickly hushed by the two boys trying to play a board game quietly.


	5. Around Every Corner

**Friday, July 12th- 7:30am-**

Aiden climbed from the SUV and looked across the parking garage to see Temperance getting out of her car. "Good Morning, Doctor Brennan." He called out, sending her a wave, she looked over toward him and gave him a friendly smile, changing her direction from the elevators to his direction.

"Where is Antonia this morning?" She asked as she approached him, watching as he helped Melody from the car. The little girl was very quiet, her eyes wary as she hopped from the SUV, holding his hand.

"Max wasn't feeling well. She said she'd be in this afternoon if she can." He said, closing the door. "Melody is going to be on her own today in daycare." His voice was upbeat, but Temperance could sense the wariness in his demeanor. "Melody, say hi to Nana." He signed as he spoke.

Melody looked up at Temperance and gave her a weak smile, waving slightly.

"I can see that someone isn't very pleased with this situation." She said with a raised eyebrow as the three of them walked toward the elevator.

"No, she's not." Aiden said with a sigh. "I expected a much bigger fight though." He said, pushing the button on the elevator. The doors opened, and the three of them stepped inside, pushing the button for the lab and another floor.

"Never mistake a strong child's willingness to go along with your plans as acceptance, Aiden." She said, watching as Melody looked up at her with her dark blue eyes, her small hand reaching out to take Temperance's. "If I were you, I'd make sure your phone was on at all times, and make yourself available in the blink of an eye." She grinned as the elevator doors opened on the floor where the daycare was located.

"Your advice is appreciated and noted." Aiden laughed lightly.

Temperance squeezed the little girl's hand and released it. "Have a good day, Melody. I love you." Temperance said, as the little girl's eyes brightened and she smiled. "Be brave."

"I love you, Nana." She signed back, taking Aiden's hand, he waved to Temperance and led the little girl from the elevator, as they walked down toward the daycare.

* * *

He stepped into the daycare with Melody and walked toward the counter, where he signed her in and greeted the woman at the counter. He glanced down and watched as she simply stared up at him. "You're going to be brave today, right?" He asked and signed to her, watching her swallow hard before nodding reluctantly. "It's not so bad."

"Will Max be okay?" She signed, her brow furrowing as she let out a sigh.

"Max will be just fine." He crouched down to her level. "He has a little cold." He said. "You don't want to play with a little baby with boogers falling out of his face, do you?" He asked, making a face at her, he gave her a tickle and she giggled at him and shook her head. "You said you were going to try to make some friends for me."

"I will try." She signed, nodding her head.

"Good girl. I will see you soon. Maybe I'll check in at lunch time." He said, dropping a kiss on her cheek, he took her hand and led her to the room. He opened the door and she took her backpack from him, and moved quickly toward a table. Once she sat down, she waved to him. He waved back and slipped back out the door, making his way back toward the elevator.

Once in the elevator, he glanced at his phone just as a text message from Antonia appeared on the screen. He opened the attachment to a picture of a pink-cheeked Max, a simper on his lips as he scowled at the camera. The note with the picture made him smile. "He looks like you when he makes this face. Have a good day, and no flirting with interns." He shook his head and laughed a little.

"I don't even know how to flirt." He sent back, immediately receiving a picture of her rolling her eyes. "I love you, Tex." He sent back, and slipped his phone in his pocket as he headed toward the lab.

* * *

When he reached the lab, he glanced around at the activity and made his way toward Angela's office. He glanced inside and smiled as the artist looked up from her desk. "Hey, Fitz." She smiled. "Have you guys gotten any hits from the reconstruction?"

"Nothing yet. I just wanted to let you know that Tex won't be in until later. The baby has a cold." He said.

"Aw, poor little guy. I hope he doesn't get that flu that has been going around." She groused. "It's supposed to be really bad."

"So far it's just a fever and a snotty nose. Tex has it under control. Also, thanks for the reconstruction. You did a great job, and I appreciate it." He said, tapping on the door frame with a smile.

"Alright, suck up. I think Jack has something for you on the poison." She said with a smile.

He grinned at her comment. "So much for giving credit where credit is due." He teased. "I'll go talk to Jack. Thanks." He said, stepping out of her office, he started to walk toward Hodgins' office when he heard his name called.

"Agent Fitzgerald?" Temperance called, stepping toward him with a file in her hand, he turned on his heel and smiled. "I forgot that I had this with me this morning." She said, handing over the file for the case.

"Thank you." He said, flipping through it quickly, he looked up at her. "I thought I left this on my desk last night. How did you end up with it?" He asked curiously.

"Agent Booth takes his mentorship to you a little too seriously sometimes. I believe he's memorized everything in that file, based on the way that he was reading it over last night." She said with a coy smile. "He may try to quiz you on it later."

"He was checking over my homework?" Aiden laughed. "What makes him think that Antonia will let me get away with leaving out one fact?" He asked. "I don't mind if he looks it over though. He does have much more experience than I do."

"I am sure that is your polite way of saying that he is old, and he will never change, and there is no use trying to change him." She said, watching his mouth hang open slightly, a curl to the corner of his lips. "I said that, not you." She winked. "Have Antonia call me when she's through at the doctor with the baby, please."

"You got it, Doc…" he paused when he watched her eyes widen, and he grinned innocently. "Doctor Brennan, ma'am."

Her eyes narrowed as she stared him down for several moments. "Get out of my lab, Fitzgerald." She snapped playfully as she turned on her heel and headed toward the platform.

He let out a laugh and headed back toward Hodgins' office to see what he had for him.

He tapped on the door frame to the office and stepped inside, looking around the shelves for Hodgins. "Jack?" Aiden called.

Ruth Davies' head popped around the corner with a smile. "Agent Fitzgerald." She said with a smile. "Doctor Hodgins just stepped out for a second. He said he'd be right back."

"Ah. Okay." He said, glancing back toward the door, then back to the intern. "Working with Doctor Hodgins today, huh?"

"Yes." She smiled, stepping toward him as she looked at the door and back to him as well. "Doctor Brennan has us working in different areas of the lab at different times. She feels that it will give us a well rounded experience here."

"Its definitely the best way to find your way around the place." He said politely. He took a step back toward the door and slowly took in a breath. He was feeling a little bit awkward being in the enclosed space with her, and internally cursed Antonia for putting unwelcome thoughts of the intern's intentions in his head. "Well, I'm going to go see what's going on at the platform and wait for Hodgins. It was nice to see you again." He said, sending her a friendly wave, he turned and quickly walked out of the office. When he turned the corner, he nearly smashed into Hodgins, and managed to dodge the scientist just barely.

"Geez, Fitz. Are you on fire or something?" He chuckled.

"No." He said quickly. "Though I did just come from your office, so anything is possible." He said, suddenly feeling comfortable in the other man's presence. "Angela said you have something for me?"

"Rat poison." He said, stepping past Aiden. The agent turned on his heel and followed after him.

"Rat poison?" He asked. "No thank you?" He chuckled, listening to Hodgins' laugh. "He was killed by rat poison?"

"Yes." Hodgins said, leading him into his office. "It looks like he had been poisoned slowly for a period of time, causing the bone weakening. Looks like the murderer got tired of waiting and just dosed him big time to finish him off." He said, leading Aiden through his office to the computer. He pointed out several things on the computer screen and they talked for a minute or two, the intern standing by as she listened to the conversation. "So, the baby is sick?" He asked, looking slightly concerned.

"He's fine, it's just a little cold." Aiden assured him. "News travels fast around here." He laughed.

"Well, when Ant isn't here at the butt crack of dawn, we all start wondering." Hodgins laughed.

"That is true." Aiden laughed. He sighed, and his phone rang, he lifted it to his ear. "Fitzgerald." He said into the line. Suddenly he was extremely quiet, and Aiden just held the phone, his face slightly pale as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line. "Woah… slow down, slow down. Tex. Tex! Stop. I'll be right there… just… don't panic. He'll be okay, he'll be okay. Tex, Stop. I… lights and siren. I'll be right there." He said. He hung up the phone and looked up at Hodgins. "The baby isn't breathing right, and Tex is having a panic attack. I have to go." He said, slapping the folder down on the table, he turned and ran toward the lab's exit.


	6. Help Is On The Way

Aiden pulled the car into the driveway quickly, flicking off the lights as he pulled the keys, yanked off his suit jacket and made his way toward the house. He opened the door to the house and immediately could hear the baby's sobs. "Antonia?" He called, following the sound of the baby's cries, he climbed the stairs. "Tex, where are you?" He called, walking into the baby's room, he found her. She was walking back and forth, tears streaming down her cheeks as she held the baby in her arms, begging him to stop crying.

"Hey… hey." He said, reaching for her, she turned and handed him the baby as if he had burned her, her hands moving up to her head as she tried to control her own tears.

"We were doing fine, and he started to get upset, and he won't stop crying! His fever won't go down! He was crying and… and wheezing, and I don't… Aiden!" She sobbed. "I can't… he's… he's breathing weird. It was really fast and loud, and it was like he was gasping for air, and I can't get him to stop crying, and… and I can't do this!" She exclaimed.

Aiden held the baby, and rocked him gently as the tiny being screamed loudly. Aiden looked him over, and could feel the heat from his fever radiating from his little body. "Okay. Okay…" Aiden said, turning as he walked from the room.

"Aiden! Where are you taking him?" Antonia exclaimed desperately.

"Turn on the hot water in the bathroom and close the door!" He called to her. His voice was calm and level. "Hot water, Antonia."

"What?" She exclaimed, following him into the hallway, she watched him head down the stairs quickly, the baby on his shoulder as he patted his back, even as the tiny baby continued to scream into his ear angrily.

"Shower, Antonia! Turn it on hot!" He exclaimed over the baby's screaming. He looked up at her. "Turn it on, and close the door to the bathroom! Trust me!" He shouted as he disappeared around the corner.

"Where did you go?" She exclaimed down the stairs and then quickly moved to the bathroom. In her addled state she couldn't figure out why he wanted her to turn on the water. "Aiden?" She called as she yanked on the faucet knob and let the hot water pour from the shower. "Aiden, where did you go?" She exclaimed as she rushed out of the bathroom and closed the door, just as he made it to the top of the stairs. The baby was still sobbing and hiccupping angrily, his little face red with frustration, his fists clenched as he gasped and screamed.

"Okay, okay…" Aiden said, holding the baby with one hand, and a small leather bag in the other.

"What is that?" She asked, seeing the bag. He didn't answer but simply walked toward the bathroom. "Aiden, will you please just talk to me?" She exclaimed. He stopped before he stepped inside and turned around.

"Bathroom." He said, nodding toward the door. "Open the door for us?" He asked, watching her angry scowl. "I love you." He said as she swung the door open and he leaned down to kiss her nose.

They stepped into the now incredibly steamy room, and she closed the door behind them, suddenly realizing what his intent was. "Here." He said, setting the bag on the floor by the sink, he nodded toward the closed toilet seat for her to sit. When she sat, he handed her the wailing baby.

"Aiden, no." She said, her voice filled with desperation and fear. "Aiden." She said again, watching the squirming baby in her arms as he struggled to breathe.

"He'll be okay." Aiden said, kneeling in front of them with the bag. "He'll be okay." He repeated. Her eyes were on his as he pulled out a bulb syringe and saline and began to unclog the baby's nose. Max screamed loudly and angrily at the action, his face red with anger as his hands flailed and his body trembled with cries, snorting and fighting as hard as he could against the uncomfortable procedure. Each breath in was loud and wheezing, but his cry was loud and angry. "He's okay." Aiden said as he cleaned out the baby's nose. "Let him yell, he'll be okay." Once Max was able to breathe out of his nose a little easier, his sobs began to slow. He hiccupped and let out a more squeaking cry as Aiden gently ran his fingers across the baby's head. "You're okay, buddy. You're okay… Mommy and daddy have you." He said softly as he wiped the tears from the baby's face. Aiden looked up into Antonia's eyes and could still see the stark fear within her dark eyes, the panic still lying in wait. He reached for his bag and pulled out as stethoscope. "Here." He said softly as he lifted the earpieces to her ears, then took the end and gently placed it on the now quieter baby's chest. "How does it sound?" He asked. "Does it sound okay?" He asked.

"Yeah." She whispered.

"Good." He said, settling down on the floor as she held the baby in the steamy room, listening to his heartbeat. He could see that she was rocking slightly, her hands trembling "Are you okay?" He asked, watching as she stared at the now calm baby as he stared up at his mother curiously.

"No." She whimpered, rocking Max gently. "I'm really, really not okay." She whispered.

"Tex, he's okay now. He's breathing fine, he's okay." He said, softly, he looked up into her eyes and held her hand gently. "It's okay now. He's alright now… the steam is good for him. You're both okay now."

"Aiden." She whimpered. "Aiden, I couldn't… I… I can't." She said as she pulled the stethoscope from her ears. "I can't." She whispered as she carefully lifted the baby to his arms. "I'm so sorry." She whimpered.

"Tex." He said, shaking his head. "It's okay."

"It's not okay." She said, standing up quickly, she shuffled past him and out the door. "I'm sorry." She said as the door closed behind her.

"Tex?" He called after her. "Antonia!" he exclaimed, his loud voice rattling the baby in his arms as he started to cry. "Ah, shit." He muttered, looking at the crying baby as he sit, surrounded by the steam. "I mean… crap…" He shook his head as he tried to calm the crying baby.

Carefully, Aiden stood up, feeling the wetness of the steam in the room, he bounced Max slightly as he calmed again. He reached into the shower and turned off the water. He opened the door to the bathroom and looked out into the hallway. "Antonia?" He called, hearing nothing in response. "Antonia, where are you?" He said, stepping from the bathroom, he held the baby securely against him as the baby let out a cough. He moved him to his shoulder and walked down the hallway toward the bedroom, patting his back gently. "Antonia, come here. Please?" He called, stepping down toward their bedroom, he found it empty. "Antonia?" He called again, trying not to startle the baby. "Antonia?" He called.

That was when he heard the car door slam, and the engine start. "Son of a…" He exclaimed as he moved quickly for the stairs. He took them two at a time, but by the time he made it to the bottom and opened the door, her car was pulling from the driveway, and she was gone. Aiden stood in the doorway watching her taillights disappear down the street. Suddenly, the baby in his arms started to cry again. He looked down at the feverish little boy, tears rolling down his cheeks as he sobbed. "You and me both, buddy." He sighed, shaking his head as he walked back into the house to take care of the sick baby.

* * *

Booth was pacing in Temperance's office like a caged lion. "Why don't they answer their phones?" He asked angrily, swinging his phone around in his hand.

"They are dealing with a sick child, Booth. Let them do their job as parents." Temperance said, looking through several things on her computer as she tried to ignore her husband's huffing and puffing as he walked back and forth in front of her desk.

"Hodgins said he just took off. You don't say that your kid isn't breathing right, and then just leave. You let people know that he's alright, or at least answer your damn phone when people call to check on things!" He snapped.

"And by people, you mean you?" Temperance muttered as she looked up from her screen. "Booth, sit down. You're going to cause a wear pattern in the carpet." She said, watching him stop and stare at her for a moment. She lifted her eyebrow at his attempt to be intimidating, or angry or something. "Aiden and Antonia are adults and parents, and there is nothing that you or I could do to make their situation any easier, so just sit down and relax, or go back to your office." She said, watching her husband sigh heavily.

"So I should just sit down?" He said, his voice slightly mocking.

"Or leave." She shrugged. "That's an option too." She smiled sweetly at her husband's glare. When Booth's phone rang, she nodded toward him. "See, that's probably one of the kids now." She said, watching him look at his phone and shake his head.

"Booth?" He said into the phone, listening to the person on the other line. "Yeah, he's indisposed at the moment, family emergency. I can take care of it." He said, watching Temperance's eyes narrow suspiciously at him. "Okay, send me her information and I'll head over there with Bones." He stuck his tongue out at her and she rolled her eyes. "Okay, thanks." He hung up the phone and sighed. "Okay, so they got a hit on the reconstruction. Guy was missing for about four years. They're sending me the wife's information, and we get to go interview her." He said with a shrug.

"I have interns that I have to work with, Booth. I can't just leave the lab." She said, watching him carefully as he watched her.

"You're messing with me, aren't you?" He asked seriously.

"Is that something that you think I'm capable of?" She asked.

"Every damn day. Go tell Ange or Hodgins they're in charge. I don't even care if you put Chuck in charge. I need my partner." He said, turning quickly, he exited her office.

* * *

Agent Harding was deep in a pile of paperwork on his desk when his phone rang, at least he could hear his phone ringing beneath the papers on his desk. "Damn it." He muttered as he shuffled around the piles and a cascade of papers fell off his desk onto the floor. He growled and lifted up the phone. "Harding." He snapped into the phone, but heard nothing. "Hello?" He said loudly, staring at the papers on the floor. He looked at the phone and noticed the name that was on the screen, and could feel a pit in his stomach. "Toni?" He said sharply. "Toni, are you okay?" he said, listening for a response. "What happened? Come on, talk to me."

"I…" Her voice trembled on the line.

"Antonia, please. Where are you? Do you need me to come to you?"

"Yes." She whispered.

"Is the baby okay? Is it Aiden? Mel?"

"Just me. It's me." She said, her voice broken. "I can't do this." She whispered. "I need help."


	7. A One-Two Punch

The little pink crayon scrawled across the page again and again, as the artist focused on each and every line, her mind completely focused on the task at hand. Her blonde curls bounced as she colored, her hand firm on the crayon in her hand, while her mind wandered. She glanced toward the digital clock on the wall, knowing that lunch time was at twelve, and that hopefully then she would get the break that she wanted, that she deserved for being such a good girl. She missed her baby brother, and was worried about him. She knew what it was like to be sick, and she didn't want Max to feel that way.

The daycare was busier than usual, and with summer break in full swing, there were unfamiliar faces, and some older children as well. They all seemed to have their own groups and friends to play with. She had seen a few people look her way, but they always passed by without so much as a hello, and while the daycare providers tried their best to include her in activities, it was almost as if they didn't know what to do with her. Her eyes moved toward the group of cribs where Max typically would be, and the small step that she would usually sit on and wait. She let out a sigh as she closed her eyes tightly.

When she opened her eyes, the paper on the table that she was coloring was suddenly swiped out from beneath her arm. She looked up at the child across from her, a blonde haired boy who looked to be about eight years old was holding it out of her reach. He made a face at her and all she could do was hold her hand out for it, grunting in frustration as tears came to her eyes. "No. No." She said with a frustrated grunt.

"Cry baby." The little boy said, making a face at her as he crumpled her paper and threw it at her, hitting her in the face with it.

She flinched at the contact, as a memory of living in the group home came back in full force. She remembered a boy just like this, that teasing and hateful look in his eyes.

"You are mean!" She signed to him, which only seemed to fuel his desire to mess with her. She just stared at him as he continued to taunt her, leaning on the table, he got right into her face. She couldn't understand what she had done to elicit a reaction like this from someone, but his attitude was hurtful. "Go away!" She signed, grunting as she watched him laugh and point at her. He moved his hands as if he was 'signing', and laughed.

Her fist was balled as she gritted her teeth, and the little boy taunted her a little more. He reached out and touched the tip of her nose with his fingertip, and it was as if a switch was turned. Her hand flew from her side, her fist swinging with all of her might directly into the taunting boy's face, grabbing his shirt with her other hand she hit him again and again.

She couldn't hear the crowd that surrounded them, but could sense the tension, as someone much larger than her lifted her into the air. She struggled for a moment and kicked her legs, seeing the boy on the ground crying as he held his face. She growled one more time as she let out a mighty shout as she was dragged away from the other children. She could see their looks of wonder and fear, and instantly felt guilty for her reaction. She could almost see the look of disappointment in Aiden's eyes as she started to cry, her body going limp in the arms of the daycare provider.

She was carried toward the front desk, and unceremoniously plopped into a chair beside the secretary. The sign that she was given was a simple 'sit and don't move.' She couldn't remember the last time that one of the daycare personnel had signed to her, but clearly they knew some words. She kept her eyes on the floor and stared at the carpet, wishing something that she hadn't for a very long time, that she could simply just disappear.

* * *

Booth drove with Temperance reading through the case file in the passenger seat. She could sense her husband's eyes on her after a moment or two, and looked up at him. He had a slight scowl on his face as he glanced at the file in her hand. "You have to stop worrying so much, Booth. You're going to make yourself sick."

"Yeah? And then when I get sick, I get to turn my phone off and ignore everyone who is concerned about me, right?" He muttered.

"Your passive aggressive attitude is extremely exhausting." She said with a shake of her head as she pulled a sheet from the folder. "According to Hodgins, the victim was killed with rat poison, or at least a poison that was similar to rat poison." She said softly.

"Maybe the wife did it." Booth said, watching as Temperance looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, conjecture. I got it."

"So why was it that you were at my office this morning, and not Christopher?" She asked, continuing to look through the papers in the folder.

"He's finishing up paperwork for the last case. You know that paperwork is his favorite thing."

"You gave him your portion of the paperwork, didn't you?" She asked, looking up at him.

"He lost a bet." Booth smiled.

"I thought you quit gambling." She replied.

"Not when it comes to paperwork." He said proudly. "Besides, this was supposed to be Aiden's case. Since he went AWOL, it's our case now."

"He didn't go AWOL, Booth. He's being a responsible parent to your grandchildren." She sighed as her phone rang. She glanced at the number and scowled. "Speaking of your grandchildren…" She mumbled as she lifted the phone. "Brennan." She said into the phone, glancing to Booth as she listened. "Yes, that is fine. Aiden and Antonia are dealing with the baby right now. It's fine that you called me. She… she what?" Temperance said, her voice moving up nearly an octave.

"What? What happened?" Booth asked, finding himself staring directly into Temperance's hand.

"I am actually out of the office at this time, as is Agent Booth. Is it possible for you to find a quiet corner for her to sit and wait until one of us is able to retrieve her?" She sighed. "Thank you. I apologize for her behavior. Has anyone asked her why she would do such a thing? Well, she doesn't typically behave that way, so perhaps a conversation is in order to find out what exactly happened. Thank you. I appreciate it. Again, I apologize." She said with a sigh as she hung up the phone.

"What happened?" Booth asked again.

"It appears our granddaughter punched another child in daycare today. She won't tell anyone why, and they wanted someone to come and pick her up." She sighed.

"She punched another kid? Melody doesn't just punch people." Booth defended.

"Well, we will get to the bottom of it, I am sure. First, we deal with murderers, then we deal with the unfairness of being a child." She said with a sigh. She stared at her phone for a moment considering something when she heard Booth whistle slightly, as if he had been trying to get her attention.

"You can admit that you're worried about them if you want." He said when she finally looked up at him.

"No." She shook her head. "They are adults, and they can manage themselves accordingly." She huffed as he shook his head and laughed. "Don't laugh at me." She grumbled as they pulled to the front of the victim's wife's home.

"I'm not laughing at you." Booth chuckled as he climbed from the SUV.

"Christopher doesn't laugh at me." She said, climbing from her seat. "I miss my partner." She said with a sigh, smiling when she heard his grunt.

"Just get to the door, Bones." He said as they walked up the steps together, he listened to her light laughter and shook his head. They rang the doorbell and waited for a moment, as their professional masks were put properly in their place. As the door opened and the young woman presented herself, Booth smiled slightly. "Mrs. Katherine Becker?" He said, as he watched her straighten her posture slightly. She nodded lightly. He held his badge open and cleared his throat. "I'm Agent Seeley Booth with the FBI, and this is Doctor Temperance Brennan with the Jeffersonian. We have some news about your husband, Casey Becker."

The young woman stared at them blankly for a moment, her eyes focusing on Booth for a long second. "Oh, yes." She said with a sigh. "Come on in." She said, ushering them inside.

Booth stepped in first, with Temperance right behind, as she led them toward the sitting room. Booth noticed that the woman was watching him curiously and she shook her head lightly as if clearing her thoughts. "Did you say your name was Seeley Booth?" She asked, watching his brow furrow, he glanced to Temperance before answering.

"Yes."

"Are you any relation to Parker Booth?" She asked, tipping her head curiously.

"Parker is my son." He said, as he watched a smile on the woman's smile become a bit brighter. "You know Parker?"

"We're… kind of dating, yes." She said with a blush. She watched their guests exchange a look. "Please, sit down." She said, nodding toward the sofa as she took a deep, nervous breath. Booth and Temperance sat down and watched as Katherine sat across from them, just as a tea kettle sounded in the kitchen. "Oh! I was making tea. I'm sorry. Would either of you like a cup?" She excused herself when they both politely declined.

Booth and Brennan sat in silence for several moments, listening to the sound of the woman in her kitchen. "I wonder what Grace is up to." Booth mumbled to his wife, whose blue eyes clashed with his.

"I think we need to talk to our children more." She said softly, listening to his slight chuckle as he shook his head and they waited patiently for Katherine to return.


	8. Someone to Lean On

Ace focused on the road as he accelerated carefully toward his destination. He pulled up the gravel drive slowly and could see her car parked beneath the oak tree at the top of the hill. He could feel his heart clench with pain for her fears, and when he saw her slumped form sitting in front of the large granite stone, he feared the worst. She had no explanation for her need for help, and he asked no further questions, simply told her that he knew where she was and that he'd be there as quickly as possible.

He stopped the car behind hers, cut the engine and pulled his seatbelt off simultaneously. "Toni." He called as he climbed from the car. He hoped she'd look up at him, but her face remained in her hands. "Toni." He called again, approaching her and sat beside her in the grass. He reached for her, and pulled her body into his as she started to sob into him. "I'm here." He whispered, holding her. "I've got you." He whispered.

She gasped for air as she sobbed, grasping Ace tightly as she let herself fall apart. "I can't do it." She sobbed. "I'm so sorry."

"Can't do what? What can't you do, sweetheart? You're going to have to talk to me. I have no idea what's going on." He said, rocking her in his arms as he stared at the grave stone in front of them.

"The baby. I can't… I can't be a mom. I'm a horrible mother." She sobbed. "I'm a horrible mother, and I was so scared. I didn't know what to do. I hate not being in control. I hate not knowing what to do." She sniffled.

"What happened with the baby? Is he okay? Where is he? Talk to me, Toni." He said softly, trying not to panic at the lack of facts. He just knew that she was alone, and crying about the baby.

"Aiden has him." She cried, trembling in his arms as he held her tightly. "He… he knows what to do. He always knows what to do. He's such a good daddy. He doesn't need me!" She gasped. "He doesn't need me. Nobody needs me." She sobbed.

"Hey, that's silly." He said, rocking her gently as he held her. "I need you, Aiden needs you, Mel and Max need you. Talk to me." He said as he felt her start to hyperventilate. "Come on, Toni… deep breaths. It's okay. We'll figure this out, it's okay." He whispered kissing her temple as he held her gently to him, rocking them both. "Shh…" he whispered. "I'm here. I've got you."

Ace held her for a long time, allowing her to cry into him with all of her strength. He simply just waited her out, waited until she had completely worn herself out crying and there was nothing left to cry. When she was finally through, and just rested in his arms, he continued to gently rock her. "Talk to me." He whispered.

"I messed everything up." She whispered. "I ruined everything." She sniffled, her voice still raw with emotion.

"What did you mess up? What happened with the baby? He's okay?"

"I don't know." She whimpered. "He's sick. He's got a fever, and… and I couldn't… I couldn't help him." She whimpered.

"Okay, so you freaked out." He said, feeling her shift slightly. He watched her red rimmed eyes meet his. "Freak outs happen." He said with a raised eyebrow. "So, you called Aiden and he came home?"

"Yes." She whispered, sucking in a deep breath. "Max wasn't breathing right. He was wheezing, and breathing really fast, and… and I called Aiden, and he came right home and he just… he took control. He steamed up the bathroom and brought him in there, and suctioned out his nose. I mean, how does he even know how to do that?"

"Well, he was in medical school, sweetheart. His specialty was pediatrics. You know that." Ace whispered. "Besides, once the pregnancy was out in the open, any free time he had at the office, he'd be reading that ridiculous baby care book. He wore the damn thing out. He just wants to help with it all, baby. He loves you both very much."

"Well, he helped… and I just… I abandoned them." She said with a hateful grunt toward herself. "I ruined everything, Ace. I just… I abandoned my baby, and my fiance. I abandoned them." She mumbled as she started to cry into his shoulder again. "They deserve so much more than me." She whispered.

"Stop that, you didn't abandon your baby." He said, shaking his head. "You left him with his father, who is perfectly capable of taking care of him." He said, touching her head tenderly. "It feels like you have a bit of a fever yourself." He whispered.

"I feel like crap." She sniffled, burying her head in his shoulder as he kissed her head. "I am sorry I made you come all the way out here." She whispered. "I didn't know what else to do. I felt so helpless."

"Never apologize for asking for help. Besides, you saved me from a mountain of paperwork. I appreciate that." He said, kissing her temple.

"Aiden is going to be so mad at me." She whimpered. "I can't go home." She shook her head.

"You have to go home, kid. I'd take you home if I didn't have my car. You need some rest, and you need to talk to Aiden and apologize to little Ace." He said, watching her look up into his eyes. "I'm never going to stop calling him that."

She shook her head and sighed a shuddering breath. "I don't know what to say to him."

"You tell him that Mommy loves him very much, and she's new at this... and sometimes she just gets a little scared because he's so tiny, and the world is so big." He said as he kissed her tenderly.

"You're a great Oompa." She whispered, looking across at Max's gravestone, his name in bold script, she leaned her head on Ace's shoulder as they felt the light breeze blow over them, the flowers lovingly planted beside the stone waved at them gently.

"I have some big shoes to fill." He whispered against her as he rocked her gently. "I take my job very seriously." He whispered, as they slipped into a peaceful, thoughtful silence.

* * *

**11:00am- **

Melody sat in the chair alone, staring up at the clock on the wall. It was analog, and she had no idea what the time was, but she knew that those hands were moving slowly, and she was feeling more broken with every tick of the second hand. She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands, trying desperately not to cry, trying not to become more upset. She was aware that they had called her parents, but the longer that time went by, the surer she became that the reason for their absence was because they were disappointed in her and were never going to come get her.

Her eyes lifted to the door, and she stared for several moments at the keypad on the knob that would allow exit into the hallway. Her eyes moved toward the secretary who seemed extremely involved in the game of solitaire on her computer screen, and not at all concerned about the little girl sitting nearby. She looked back to the door and sighed, knowing that if she could get to the keypad, she could escape. She knew the code, it wasn't very difficult to reach. She just needed to find a way to get to that door and get out. She was about to slide off the chair, when the door beside her opened, and a boy stepped into the room. He looked to be a couple of years older than her, dark hair and bright blue eyes. He said hello to the secretary who looked up and said something and he responded with a slight smile. His eyes focused on Melody, and he smiled a friendly smile at her.

Her brow was furrowed and she let out a sigh, but the little boy came closer to her, sitting in the chair beside her. She focused on her fingers in her lap, closing her eyes tightly as she tried to block out everything around her. She was strong like her mama, she wouldn't cry. She was strong and resilient and brave like her Nana, she wouldn't break. She suddenly felt something placed on her hands, and opened her eyes with a slight gasp. Setting on her arms was the picture she had been coloring. It was still crumpled a bit, but it had been flattened out, and a bit of tape had been placed in one of the corners where it had torn. She took the page into her hands and turned her head toward the boy beside her.

"I'm sorry that Michael was mean to you." He said softly. "He shouldn't have crumpled your picture." He smiled kindly, and pointed at the picture. "I told Mrs. Campbell and Mrs. Dee what happened. I hope they believe me." He said with a sigh. "I don't like being a tattle, but what he did was wrong." He watched her for a moment and grinned. "You really socked him one." He laughed, dropping his smile when he noticed the secretary look over at him. When she looked away, he covered his mouth and giggled.

She simply stared at the boy, unsure of what to make of his apology or conversation, unsure of why he would make that effort. She didn't even know who he was, but he had clearly seen what had happened and felt that it was important that things be made right.

"Are you okay?" He asked, tipping his head slightly.

Melody nodded her head. She wasn't sure if he knew that she was deaf, but his kindness was clear and very much needed at that moment. "Thank you." She signed to him, mouthing the words to him, he smiled a smile that made his blue eyes sparkle.

"My name is Adam." He said, smiling at her kindly. "I'm nine years old. My dad works in the curating department here at the Jeffersonian. I don't have any idea what that means, but he gets to play with old stuff, so I guess that's cool." He shrugged.

She furrowed her brow in frustration. She very much wanted to talk to him, but could see that he didn't know sign language, so their conversation would be one sided unless she did something about that. She held up the paper in her hand, and shook it a little, then pointed at the desk.

"You want me to get a piece of paper and a pen so that you can talk to me?" He asked, watching her nod her head enthusiastically, he grinned and slipped from the chair, moving toward the secretary. He asked politely for a piece of paper and a pen, and she handed it to him without much of a glance at all. He brought the paper over to Melody and placed it on the table beside the chair, crouching down to see what she would write, he looked up at her. "Here." He said, handing her the pen. "What's your name?"

She leaned over the page and very carefully scrawled her name. She watched his eyes follow her hand, and when she was finished, he smiled. "Melody." He grinned. "That's a cool name." He said. "So, you can't hear anything that I say?" He asked, watching her shake her head. "How do you know what I am saying?" He asked.

She pointed at her lips, and moved them slightly.

"So, you watch my mouth, and you can tell what I am saying?" He asked, watching her nod. "That is so neat!" He smiled. "How old are you?" He asked, trying to think of other questions. She held up six fingers and smiled. "That was an easy question." He laughed. He sat cross legged at the table as he smiled at her. "Tell me more about you." He said playfully. "What kind of games do you like?" He asked, as he watched her lean over the page and play along. He watched as quickly the sadness in her eyes was replaced with a sparkle of wonder and excitement, and Melody hardly even noticed as her sadness drained away and the incident from earlier, and her need to run away was quickly forgotten.

* * *

**1:00pm-**

Aiden parked the car in the parking structure, having finally checked his phone messages while he was at the doctor's office, he quickly rushed to the Jeffersonian. He still hadn't heard from Antonia, but had gotten a quick text from Ace letting him know that she was with him and safe, so that level of panic was over for the time being. He climbed from the car and reached into the back seat for the baby carrier. He snapped it to his shoulders quickly, and gently lifted the exhausted baby from his car seat, nestling him against his chest, he snapped him in. He looked down at the little boy, his hair damp with sweat from his broken fever, and gave him a gentle kiss on the top of his head. "It's okay, buddy. We just have to go get your big sister and then we'll go home and get into our pajamas and never leave home again." He mumbled softly as he closed the car door, locked it and quickly made his way toward the elevator.

He was almost to the doors when he heard someone calling to him. He turned to see Booth and Temperance moving in his direction. "Hey." He said, smacking the button on the elevator. "I have to go get Melody." He said. "Where are you guys coming from?"

"We're working your case." Booth said, when he felt the sharp corner of his wife's elbow in his rib. "Ow, geez, Bones. We were talking to the victim's wife. We got an ID off the missing person's database." He said. "How is Max?" He asked, noting that Temperance was already looking him over as they stepped in the elevator.

"He has a mild respiratory infection. They gave me some antibiotics for him, and I have to pick up a humidifier on the way home." He said with a sigh. "His fever finally broke, but he's feeling pretty miserable."

"Where is Antonia?" Temperance asked, seeing a flash of what could be deemed as anger and frustration over his features as he quickly masked it. "Is she okay."

"She's … You know what, I have no clue where she is." He said honestly. He pushed the button for the daycare floor. "She gave me the sick baby and took off." He said, smacking his hand into the button again, he could feel his anger starting to flare. "I don't know what the hell I'm doing." He said, slamming his fist into the button now, he turned away from them.

"Aiden." Temperance said softly, she reached for his shoulder just as the door opened on the correct floor.

"Not now." He snapped. "I'll call later about the case. I have to go get my kid." He said, turning sharply as he walked angrily down the hallway.

He thought he heard Booth's voice behind him as he made his way down toward the daycare, but his mind was on one thing, and that was his daughter. He held the baby close to him as he opened the door to the daycare, finding that he was out of breath from the exertion.

"Mr. Fitzgerald." The secretary said, a slight smile on her face.

He was confused. The message on the phone had been frustrated and concerned, but the secretary seemed almost happy. "Is she okay?" He asked, as suddenly he heard a giggle from behind the counter. He stepped forward to see his daughter sitting in a chair, a little boy beside her with a piece of paper as she wrote something down and he laughed.

"Adam." The secretary said as the little boy looked up, a smile on his face as he noticed someone else was in the room. "This is Melody's father."

Adam looked up and his smile faded slightly. Melody looked up and saw Aiden, a smile blossoming on her face as she jumped from her chair and ran around the counter, attaching herself to her daddy's legs. "What happened today?" Aiden asked the secretary.

She was about to speak up when Adam stepped up to the counter. "Michael Rocco was being a bully, and Melody socked him right in the face!" He grinned.

"Adam." The secretary warned.

"What? He deserved it. She was coloring and he crumpled her paper. I saw the whole thing! He was mean to her. Melody is a nice girl, and she doesn't deserve being treated bad by a mean kid, Miss Gregory." He said, leaning on the counter. "Hey, is that Max?" He asked, seeing the baby in the carrier. "Melody said he was cute. He looks cute."

Aiden looked really confused, and he looked down at Melody who was smiling up at him. "That's Adam." She signed. "He's my friend."

"It sounds like it was a pretty serious incident based on the message." Aiden said, touching his daughter's head as he watched the secretary shrug.

"Michael didn't have any injuries other than a bit of a bruised pride. His mother was informed of the incident and picked him up, and he apologized to Melody at that time, and she apologized to Michael for… socking him in the face." She said, glancing to Adam, who nodded.

"Right in the face!" Adam said, shaking his head.

Aiden couldn't help but be amused by the little boy's excitement. "Well, Max here isn't feeling well, so I guess I'll just sign Melody out for the day then." He said. "Is she good to come back next week?" He asked, concerned that the incident had soured the daycare to Melody.

"We've never had a problem with her, Mr. Fitzgerald. I think today was just a one-time thing. Michael just picked on the wrong little girl."

"Besides, Melody is my friend now. I'll make sure nobody ever picks on her, Mr. Fitzgerald." Adam said proudly. "She's the coolest kid here!" He said with an infectious smile.

"I… appreciate that, Adam." Aiden said curiously. "Thank you for keeping her company."

"No problem." He said proudly. He looked over the counter at Melody and waved. "See you next week, Melody!" He exclaimed. "Oh!" He said, disappearing behind the counter, Aiden watched his dark haired head bob behind the counter as he rounded it and handed Melody her picture. "Don't want to forget this." He smiled.

"Thank you." She signed to Adam, pushing herself into Aiden's legs as she seemed to become slightly bashful.

"Thank you, Adam." Aiden said with a sigh as he took her backpack from the secretary and crouched down in front of her. "Alright, kid. Let's go down to the lab and see Nana before we head out. Daddy has a little bit of groveling to do before we go home." He muttered as he watched her look at her sleeping brother and back to Aiden.

"Where's mommy?" She signed.

"Your guess is as good as mine." He shrugged, reaching out to take her hand, they said goodbye and quickly headed out the door.


	9. Sit on it

Aiden stepped into the lab with his Melody's hand firmly in his own. He could feel the little girl tugging on his hand the whole time, and it was clear that she was much happier than she had been that morning. He was very happy that she hadn't sensed his own mood, and went along with her for the ride.

He noted as the doors slid open that Temperance's office light was on, and he could see Booth's legs stretching across the floor from the small couch in her office. He tugged Melody a bit toward him and she looked up at him. "Go give Nana some hugs." He signed, watching her smile brighten as she released his hand and quickly ran toward Temperance's office. He followed quickly behind her, holding his hand to the baby's forehead to check for any sign of fever. Max continued sleeping soundly against him, and he was grateful for the peacefulness of his sick little boy.

He stepped into Temperance's office just as Melody scrambled into Temperance's lap. She lifted an eyebrow at him as he smiled sheepishly. "I suppose you're going to tell me that it was her idea to come in here and see me."

"Well, she does love you very much, Doctor Brennan. I can't deny her that." He shrugged. "I apologize for snapping at you in the elevator." He sighed. "It's been a very long day, and I'm not feeling so great myself, and I know it's not an excuse, but…"

"Alright… that's enough groveling." Booth muttered. "You're making me sick to my stomach."

"Sorry." Aiden said quickly. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, running his fingers through his son's hair as he held him. "We got an ID on the victim?"

"Uh, yep." Booth nodded, glancing to Temperance.

"And you talked to his wife." Aiden stated, looking between the two of them, noticing that they seemed to be having their own conversation without words, and communicated with their eyes.

"Yes." Booth nodded, looking to Aiden.

"And?" Aiden asked. "What was the victim's name?" He asked, watching Temperance and Booth glance at one another again, and Booth shrugged slightly.

"The victim's name was Casey Becker. He was…"

"Seriously?" Aiden asked, quickly realizing that he spoke a bit loudly, when the baby started wiggling a little in his carrier. "Seriously?" He whispered.

"Why? Do you know him?" Booth asked.

"Well, no. He's been missing for a few years now. Just up and left his wife one day." He shrugged. "So he was murdered? That's crazy." He mumbled.

Booth shook his head, furrowing his brow. "How do you know all of this?" He asked, watching Aiden stand with his mouth slightly agape as he glanced to Melody and back to Booth, who was watching him suspiciously.

"I should… probably get home." He mumbled. "Baby needs to eat and should sleep in his bed, and Mel is probably ready to go home."

"No." Booth shook his head, standing up. "No, no. Sit down" He said, moving around the younger agent, clearly unnerving him. "Sit down, Aiden."

"I really, really have to go." He said, signing to Melody. "Let's go, Mel."

"Sit on it, Fitz." Booth grunted, backing him up toward the couch, he slowly settled down on the couch, careful not to jostle the baby. "Now spill. What do you know about Casey Becker?"

"Just… that he left his wife, that's all." He shrugged.

"And how do you know his wife?"

"I've never met his wife." He said, looking between Booth and Temperance, their eyebrows raised as they waited patiently, or impatiently depending on who was asked, for an explanation. "I just know of her." He shrugged. "I know of her."

"And how do you know of her?" Temperance asked, handing Melody another crayon as the little girl colored a picture as she sat on her Nana's lap.

"Because… I just… Okay fine. Parker is dating her. I know you know that. He asked me to do some digging into her background, so I did. He also asked that I keep my mouth shut about who he is dating, so if Antonia finds out that I know anything, I am a dead man. Please don't tell her that I knew anything. It's a small thing, and I really don't want to be killed in my sleep." He said quickly. "It was a favor for Parker."

"So Parker knows that she's married?" Booth asked.

"He knew she had been married, and I did know that her husband had gone missing. He met her in a group… thing for people who lost their significant others maybe a month or two ago. He just asked me to look into her background, and… Oh my God, you think that she killed her husband with rat poison?" He asked, his eyes wide as he started to stand up, only to be stopped by Booth's hand out at him, forcing him to sit back down. "Have you talked to Parker?" He asked, giving in to his exhausted body.

"Not yet. He's still at work." Booth said, glancing to Temperance. "So, he met her at one of his widow groups?"

"Yeah, or bereavement mixer things. He said she was pretty, and very nice." He shrugged. "I don't know why she was at the groups, unless she had some reason to believe her husband was dead. I mean, it was a bereavement type thing, and she was looking for companionship or understanding, or just someone to talk to. Her husband had been missing for years. There wasn't anything else that jumped out at me in her background." He prattled on.

"Why did he ask you to get him information? Why wouldn't he ask Ace or me?" Booth asked, sounding just a little bit hurt.

"I don't know, Booth. He probably just wanted some unbiased party that would keep their trap shut." He sighed.

"Yeah." Booth said with a smirk. "You did a really good job with that, by the way. I hope you never have to be tortured for information."

"Well, if it's that easy to get information out of him, Booth. He probably wouldn't have to be tortured." Temperance said with a bit of a smile on her face as Aiden tipped his head back. "Aiden, do you have a fever? You look extremely pale."

"I don't know." He grumbled, running his hand across his forehead he could feel the sweat at his brow. "It is a little cold in here though, don't you think?"

"They're dropping like flies." A voice said from the doorway as Harding appeared, looking around in the office.

Aiden groaned as he looked toward the other agent, clearly in discomfort. "Where is Antonia?"

"She's at home, sleeping. I followed her there to make sure she made it alright. She has the same thing that you two have." He said, glancing to Melody as she smiled at him and signed a happy hello. "So typhoid Melody is fine, huh?"

"It appears so." Temperance said, pressing her hand against the little girl's forehead, Melody turned and grinned at Temperance. "Aiden, you should go home and get some sleep. We can take Melody for the night."

"You don't have to do that, Doctor Brennan. I can take her with me, it's not a big deal." Aiden insisted, though his voice was starting to sound a bit congested.

"She is perfectly welcome to stay at our home, Aiden. You and Antonia need to focus on getting yourselves well, and not have to worry about the energy and needs of a six year old." Temperance said softly. "Besides, it appears that you and Antonia will be discussing some of the goings on today." She said, nodding toward the baby.

"Right." He sighed, letting out a cough as he covered his mouth. "That, and how my sweet little girl socked some kid in the face today at daycare."

"She what?" Ace asked, letting out a laugh. He glanced at Melody, who looked in his direction. "You hit someone today?" He signed, shaking her head.

"Don't worry, Ape. I said sorry." She signed back with a resigned shrug.

"According to her new friend at daycare, some little boy grabbed her paper and got in her face." Aiden muttered. "So she punched him in the face." He sighed, running his hand over his face. "I need to get home." He mumbled as he started to stand up carefully. "Are you sure you want to keep her tonight?"

"Go home, Aiden." Booth said, resolutely. "Just go home before we all get sick too."

He stood up carefully and sighed, glancing to Melody, whose attention was on him. "Do you want to spend the night with Papa and Nana tonight?" He asked her with a happy smile. She had a flash of panic on her face, and glanced to Booth and Temperance. "You can let Papa braid your hair, and I bet he'll even play tea party with you." He said with a sly smile. "And then you can come home tomorrow? How does that sound?"

"I can go home tomorrow?" She signed, watching his eyes solemnly as he nodded.

"I promise, daddy will come and get you tomorrow."

"And mommy?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes, Mommy too." He cleared his throat. "I love you, baby girl." He said, blowing her a kiss, she did the same back. "Thank you, Temperance." He whispered.

"It's not a problem, now go home and get some sleep. We will keep you updated on the case." She said, watching as Aiden stepped from the room.

He was on his way to the doors when he heard Ace approaching him. He turned to face the other agent and stopped. "Is she okay?" He asked, watching Ace nod.

"She's okay. She feels very bad for leaving you guys, and feels pretty nasty physically too." Ace said, watching Aiden rub his neck with his hand, watching the sincerity in his eyes.

"Are you going to tell me to go easy on her?" He asked, feeling a bit nervous, as the two of them walked together toward the doors of the lab.

"Nah. She knows what she did was wrong. She panicked." He sighed. "She'll probably do that thing where she apologizes for everything right up front, and get you so confused that you'll forget why you're mad at her." Ace laughed. "She's already been pretty hard on herself, but I think she can handle a little bit of an argument."

Aiden stood for a moment, listening to the other man closely, his eyes focused on Ace's. "But she's okay?" He asked.

"Yeah." He nodded. "She's okay. She'll be alright."

"Thank you for being there for her." Aiden said sincerely. "I hope one of these days she won't run. I'm starting to understand the whole hiding the keys thing."

Ace laughed as he patted Aiden on the shoulder and took a quick peek at the baby. "She didn't go far. She would never do that. She loves you guys very much." Ace assured him. "Go on. If you guys need anything, let me know."

"Thanks, Ace." Aiden said, nodding his head, as he turned and made his way out the door toward the elevator and a very uncertain conversation with Antonia.


	10. Run to, Always

Aiden pulled into the driveway and sighed as he spotted Antonia's car. He pulled his car right up to the bumper of hers, though he was quite certain that neither one of them would be leaving the house for the rest of the day. He pulled his sore and feverish body from the seat and moved toward the back seat, where he opened the door and looked down at the little sleeping boy. "I hope you're feeling better, pal. Because daddy feels like crap." He mumbled as he pulled the car seat from the car, and grabbed the diaper bag and the pharmacy bag and walked toward the front door of the house.

When he entered the house he listened for any movement, and heard nothing. Groaning, he set the car seat down and heaved a sigh as he sat heavily on the couch, looking down at the sleeping baby. Without the movement of the car, Max knew that something was off, and his eyes flicked open as he let out a little grunt. His lip pushed out in a pitiful little pout. "Oh, so you're not going to give me a break after all, are you?" He whispered to the baby, who seemed for the moment, to be content with sitting in the seat. "I'm going to go get you a bottle ready, and then we'll go upstairs and get some sleep." He said, reaching down to touch the baby's chubby cheek. "How does that sound?" He asked, watching as a slight crooked smile appeared on the baby's face, his eyes brighter than they had been all day. "You look like your mama when you do that." He said, making a face at the baby, he grabbed the handle of the seat and carted him into the kitchen with him. "There's no use making you stay out here alone." He mumbled to the baby.

He set the carrier on floor by the counter as he made easy work of preparing a bottle, glancing to the baby now and then as he went about the routine with little to no thinking. He crouched down at the carrier, and carefully unbuckled Max, lifting him into his arms as he stood up. As soon as he stood up, he came face to face with a set of sad brown eyes looking back at him. He cradled the baby and lifted the bottle to his lips, and Max hungrily latched on, his eyes closing as his daddy held him securely to his body. Now looking into her eyes, Aiden could feel the anger for Antonia that he felt earlier starting to bubble to the surface, and tried very hard to keep his cool.

She stood across from him, grasping tightly to the bathrobe she had wrapped around her, feeling the chill from the air, she wasn't sure if it was from her fever, or from the stare that Aiden was giving her from those four or five feet that separated them. "I'm sorry." She whispered, feeling a hard lump in her throat as she tried to speak, his eyes refused to soften to her apology and she felt a pang of guilt and fear that seemed to be battering her mind. "How is he feeling?" She whispered, looking toward the baby as he suckled at the bottle, his nose seemingly clear, his completion far less rosy than earlier.

"He's fine." Aiden said, his voice sounding a bit grumbled as his own congestion seemed to be taking control of his body. He watched the way she was holding herself, her eyes were on the baby, and her fingers were dancing across the pocket of her bathrobe as if she wanted to reach out and grab for him. "Ace said that you weren't feeling well." He said, letting his anger take a momentary back seat while his concern for her wellbeing became the focus.

"No." She shook her head, looking back up into Aiden's eyes. "Aiden, I'm sorry." She whimpered.

He saw the pitiful look on her face, and all he could hear in the back of his mind was the nagging reminder of what she had done. "I don't care." He said, turning around, he walked toward the sink as he fed the baby, walking away from her. "I don't care that you're sorry." He said as he walked around the kitchen island, he headed toward the sitting room. "We needed you today, and you left." He said, his voice laced with contempt. "This is supposed to be a partnership, Antonia." He said seriously.

"I panicked." She said softly.

"No shit, you panicked." He whispered angrily. "What if I wasn't here? What would have happened if I was doing something work related and wasn't able to get to you? What would have happened then? Would you have just left him in his crib and just taken off?"

"No!" She exclaimed, tears springing to her eyes. "I love him! I was scared!" She cried, reaching for the baby, she watched him take a step back. "Let me hold him." She said, appalled that he would keep their child from her as if he didn't trust her.

"I'm feeding him." Aiden snapped. "As I have been doing all day long today. In addition to taking him to the doctor, giving him his medicine, changing his diapers, and dragging him along to pick up his sister who decided that today of all days would be a good day to punch another kid in the face." He grunted angrily. "Not to mention that I have whatever he has, and I'm about ready to pass out from exhaustion. It's been a really long day, Antonia. It's been a really long day, and I'm just not in the mood for apologies right this second." He said walking away from her.

"Aiden!" She exclaimed, turning to watch him walk away from her. "Aiden, don't walk away from me." She said, watching his eyes turn and clash with hers.

"Why? Are you the only one in this relationship that's allowed to walk away? I'm not discussing this right now. I'm done. At least I'm walking away with the baby." He said with a sarcastic glare. "I'm putting him in his crib, and I'm going to bed. You can keep on doing whatever the hell it is you have been doing all day without us." He said, walking toward the stairs.

"That's not fair!" She exclaimed. "I'm trying to apologize! I'm trying to make things right!"

He turned around quickly and stepped toward her. "The only way to make this right, is to go back in time and make sure it didn't happen in the first place. Freak outs and panic are fine. They happen. But when you get in your car, and you take off, and I can't get you on the phone? When I have to hear from a second person that you're okay? That's beyond a freak out, Antonia. That's full on abandonment and neglect." He snapped. "What would have happened if Max's condition was worse than what I thought? He's tiny, Antonia. He is defenseless and cannot fully express what is wrong. What if you left, and something horrible had happened? What if he did stop breathing, or worse. Could you have lived with yourself then? I know that I couldn't have." He continued, watching as she simply stared at him, her breathing erratic as she tried to remain composed. "Think of the consequences of your actions, Antonia. Think of someone other than yourself for once." He continued. "He is relying on you. I am relying on you. I just want some goddamned support!" He growled, his rant spiraling out of control. "We're supposed to be partners! We're supposed to be equals! How the hell am I supposed to trust you with my life at work, if I can't trust you with our child's life at home?" He exclaimed.

"That's enough!" She exclaimed angrily. "That is enough." She said, taking a step toward him. "Don't you dare talk to me like that, do you understand me? Don't you dare question my trustworthiness, or my dedication to our children! Don't you dare come in here and berate me, and talk down to me, and refuse to hand over my child! You want us to be equals? You want us to be partners? Then accept my goddamned apology when I say that I made a mistake! Now hand over my baby so that I can apologize to him!" She shouted angrily, her entire body vibrating with anger as she reached her hands out to him. "Hand him over to me." She growled, her jaw set, her teeth smashed together in an angry scowl. "I swear to God, Aiden." She whispered between her gritted teeth. "Give him to me." She said slowly.

He stared at her for several moments, feeling both guilty for his outburst, but also intensely angry. He watched her dark eyes as her pupils dilated, her hands reaching out for the baby. "You're angry." He said, his eyes burning into hers.

"Give him to me." She said, taking a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "Aiden." She said. "Hand him to me right now." Aiden watched her calm down, her anger drained from her face as she waited for him to hand the baby over. "Give me my baby." She said slowly.

"Our baby." He said, staring directly into her eyes, he stepped forward. "He's our baby, Antonia. He is 'our' son. He needs both of us. Not just you, not just me. He needs both of us. I need both of you. Do you understand why I am upset? Do you understand why I'm angry with you? It's not because you left. I expected you to run." He shrugged.

"Aiden." She whimpered.

"What? It's your M.O., Ant." He said, using the nickname of her childhood. It didn't get past her, and his tone was almost condescending. He had never called her by that name. "I am angry because you left, and you didn't even try to contact me. You sent Ace. You went to him, and you didn't even try to check on how Max was. I'm not angry about having to take care of a sick child. I'm his father, that's my responsibility. I'm angry that you disregarded both of us and sent someone else to do your dirty work. I didn't know where you were, if you were hurt. I didn't know where to find you. What if something happened to you?" He said, carefully lifting the baby into her arms. "You are my life." He said, putting his finger on her chin, she looked up into his eyes, and she could see the gentle green eyes that she had fallen in love with. "I don't want to be the person that you apologize to. I want to be the person that you run to, always." He said, watching her eyes as her mouth opened slightly to respond. He leaned down and kissed the baby's forehead, then turned and walked up the stairs quickly without another word.


	11. Looking for a Hero

Antonia watched Aiden disappear up the stairs and looked down at the little boy in her arms. His eyes were looking up at her, wide and bright. He watched his mother with curiosity, happy to be against her once more. She looked back to the stairs and then to the baby again. "Mommy really messed up, didn't she?" She whispered to the baby, cuddling him to her. "I hope that you can forgive me." She said, walking across the floor toward the recliner. She sat down slowly as she watched his eyes focus on her, his tiny forehead wrinkling as if he knew that she was upset.

She rocked the chair gently, trying not to get too emotional while her guilt pounded away at her brain. "I so sorry." She whispered. "Mommy used to do everything on her own, she's not used to having no control over things." She sighed, watching the baby's nose wiggle slightly as he watched her, as if he were listening to every word she spoke. "I like it when things move in smooth, straight lines. I'm sorry that I made you so scared earlier when I was upset." She said, running her finger over his smooth cheek as his eyes fluttered. But I did call your daddy, right? That was a step in the right direction, I think." She sighed.

"But mommies should never, ever leave, no matter how scared they are, right? There are a lot of scary things, and if everyone always ran when things were tough, then nothing would ever be right, would it?" She said softly. "My mommy never left me when she was scared. She says she was scared a lot when I was younger, and I can remember some times, but most of the time she was very strong and always there for me." She sighed. "I want to be a good mommy, like your Nana." She whispered. "I want your Papa and Nana and my Oompa to be proud of me, and I want you to know that you can come to me for anything. I promise I will try to be stronger for you. I promise that I'll try harder." he finished his bottle and she pulled it from his lips, running a finger over his temple as she lifted him to sit in her lap and gently patted his back as she set the bottle on the table beside the chair, listening to his satisfied bubble of a burp as she lay the sleepy child against her and held him to her gently. "I love you, Max. I love you with all of my heart." She said softly. "Your daddy takes such good care of us. You, me and Melody are three very, very lucky people." She whispered as she rocked him gently, watching his light eyes close as she rocked, his mother's voice soothing him into a peaceful slumber. As she held him and rocked, she remembered briefly something that Aiden had said, and her eyes lifted to the stairs. She suddenly realized that in her fever addled brain that she hadn't heard anything from Melody, and recalled that Aiden had mentioned something about daycare, but nothing further.

Carefully, she stood and carried Max toward the stairs. She wondered for a moment if she should disturb Aiden. She couldn't remember the last time that he had been so angry with her, and the guilt had found a place to hide out in her throat and in her heart with each step. She held the baby securely and slowly made her way up the stairs. Each step she made, she could feel the hesitation and pull to give him time and space, and her own fever was draining her energy by the second. When she made it to the top of the stairs, the bathroom door opened, and he stopped when he saw her standing there. He looked pale and exhausted, and she could have sworn she saw a shiver make its way through him. "Melody." She whispered to him, gently rocking the baby as he fell asleep against her. He gave her a bit of a confused glance, his brow furrowed. He wasn't sure if he had explained where their daughter was, so his pause was a bit awkward. "Where is Melody?" She asked, unsure if he understood her question.

"Oh." He said, a near groan, he put his palm against his sweaty forehead and cringed slightly. "Your mother took her off our hands for the night. She thought we could use a little bit of healing time." He said, watching her nod, her eyes still not quite meeting his. "Honestly, I sometimes think your dad annoys your mom a little too much, and she likes to have another girl around." He said, watching her eyes finally lift to his, that crooked smile that he loved so much making a slight appearance.

"That sounds about right." She said softly, still wishing that there wasn't an empty chasm of space between the two of them. "You said she punched someone?" She asked, swallowing hard.

"Uh, yes." He nodded. "In daycare." He sighed. "It's not a big deal, she was defending herself and nobody was seriously hurt or kicked out of daycare. I think a lesson was learned by all." He said, letting out a hacking cough followed by a slight whimper. "I can tell you about it later. I need to get some sleep." He sighed.

"Get some rest." She said, giving him a slight smile as she looked down at the baby, "I'm going to cuddle Max and apologize more." She whispered. He watched her eyes drop in disappointment at something, or maybe it was still just shame that she was feeling at this moment. "I love you." She said softly.

"I love you too, Tex." He said, taking a step forward, he reached for her and pulled her close, as she held the sleeping baby against her. She buried her nose into his chest and sucked in a deep breath.

"I'm so sorry." She whimpered against him, feeling her tears start to fall again, he rubbed her back gently. "I know that you're mad at me, and I deserve your anger." She whimpered. "I love you so much."

"I know." He whispered against her head, kissing it gently. "I know you do. And I know not feeling well yourself, it's tough to think clearly." Aiden said, leaning back to run his fingers across the baby's soft strands of hair. "We're all okay." He said. "We all feel like crap, but we're okay." He said, listening to her tender sigh.

"Do you think you could teach me what to do next time?" She asked, looking up at him. "I didn't even think of his nose being plugged, and when you came in and started fixing everything so quickly, I didn't know what to do. I felt helpless." She whispered. "I really don't like feeling helpless."

"I can show you." He said, kissing her nose. "I can show you anything you need. I didn't realize that was how you felt. We're doing this thing together, Tex. Always remember that, and I need to remember that too." He said, watching her nod her head, a slight smile on her lips as she watched his loving gaze on her. "Why don't you put him down for his nap, and come to bed for a little bit with me. I am really worn out and I'm not sure how much longer I can stay standing up."

"Okay." She said, looking up into his eyes. She wanted to say more, but was afraid of saying too much. "Okay." She said again, turning around. She instantly felt his hand on her shoulder and she turned to face him. "You're a good mother, don't ever doubt that. Your Oompa would be very proud of you." He said, watching her dark eyes sparkle at him. "Now go put that kid in his cage so we can cuddle."

"It's a crib." She laughed, shaking her head at him as she started for the baby's room, laughing as she heard him grumble something about potatoes as he stumbled into their bedroom.

* * *

**5:30pm-**

Parker was just finishing up a couple more items on his list of things that he needed to finish that day at work when he decided to check on his phone. It had been a busy day, and there was no time for conversation or texts. The boys were with his mom, so he had no worries about picking them up, and he was looking forward to a quiet Friday at home whenever he finished his current assignment.

He lifted the phone up and was surprised to see that he had several phone calls and even more text messages from various people, mostly from Katherine, a couple cryptic texts from his father, and one brief text from Aiden. He furrowed his brow when he read through the messages, and noted that Katherine had asked that he call her as soon as he got off work.

He was shutting down his computer when he lifted the phone to his ear, her number at his fingertips. It took one or two rings, and he was greeted with a shuffling of the line. "Katie?" He said into the line. "Katie, is that you, are you okay? What happened?" He asked.

"They found him." She sniffled into the line. "Parker. They found him."

"Who?" He asked, unsure of what she meant. There was very little context to go on. "Who was found? What happened? Do you need me to come over?"

"Could you?" She sniffed, her voice a bit brighter. "Parker, they found Corey." She sniffled.

"Your husband? What do you mean they found him? Did he come back into town?"

"No." She sniffled. "Well, in a way, I guess." She sniffed. "He's dead." She said with whimper.

"I'll be right over." He said, quickly as he grabbed his keys and was halfway out the door before he hung up the phone.


	12. Trusting or Naive

**(I apologize for the delay. Real life has been extremely hectic/traumatic/dramatic/time consuming as of late. I appreciate your sticking with me through this, as writing is cathartic.)**

**Comments/review/thoughts appreciated**

* * *

**5:30PM**

As soon as Parker pulled up to Katherine's apartment, her door opened. She stood on the top step, her arms wrapped around herself as she watched him climb from the car quickly, and walk up the stairs. As soon as he reached her, his arm wrapped around her, and she pulled herself into him. "It's okay." He whispered. "I'm here, it's okay."

"I didn't know who else to call." She sobbed into his shoulder, letting him hold her for several moments. "I didn't know who else to call." She sniffled.

"It's okay that you called me." He said, feeling her tremble in his arms. "Why don't we go inside? Let's go inside and talk."

"Okay." She whimpered, nodding her head as she sniffled and lifted her eyes to his. "Thank you for being so kind."

"Hey, no problem." He said softly. "The boys are with my mom. I can stay as long as you need me to." He said, nodding toward the inside, he walked with her into the apartment. She took his hand and walked with him inside, glancing to him as she sniffled. "Here." He said, approaching the couch. "Sit here." He whispered, nodding toward the couch, and she sat down, still holding his hand. He sat beside her and took her hands into his. "Now tell me what happened. The police came earlier?"

"The FBI." She swallowed, looking up into his eyes, she saw a bit of surprise in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

"The FBI?" He asked.

She cleared her throat and swallowed hard. "It was your father." She said, sucking in a deep breath, she rested her head in her hand and sighed. "I was doing a little cleaning up, and the doorbell rang. As soon as I answered the door, I realized he was familiar. It was so strange." She said, sniffling.

"Was he alone?" Parker asked, fully expecting her to describe Ace, or Aiden having been with him, as they were typically with Booth.

"No." She said, shaking her head. "He was with a woman, a scientist or something. Doctor Brennan?"

"Bones." He mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" She said, watching as Parker's attention seemed to drift off for a second.

"Huh? Oh, nothing." He shook his head, he took a deep breath. "So they said they found him?"

"Yes." She said with sigh. "They found him buried in a cemetery or something, not near the other stones. They did some kind of reconstruction or something, and were able to figure out it was Casey." She sighed, her voice trembling. "When they came, I knew it couldn't be good news, you know? I mean, at first I was able to hold myself together. I didn't want to fall apart in front of them. They said that he had been murdered, and that they were still investigating his cause of death." She said with a sigh. "I told them everything that I know." She whispered. "I... I don't know anything. He just left that day for work, and never came back. I... I didn't expect this. I thought he just ran off with one of those women from his office he was messing around with." She sighed. "I don't know what to think anymore." She said, putting her head in her hands as she tried to control her emotions.

Parker kept quiet, knowing full well that if Bones was with his father, then they knew exactly how he had been murdered. If Bones was with him, it was clearly not a simple case of informing a loved one of an unfortunate event. Bones only accompanied his father when they were gathering evidence, and what Parker wanted to know was what they had found. His attention was suddenly snapped back to Katherine when he realized she was speaking to him, and he gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry." He mumbled. "I'm just thinking." He said with a sigh as he held her hand tightly.

"I told them what I knew, and then they left." She said with a sigh. "As soon as they were gone though, I couldn't hold it in any more." She said with a shuddering breath. "I couldn't think of anyone else to call. I'm so glad you're here for me." She whispered.

"Of course." He said with a kind smile, pulling her in for a hug, all the while trying to formulate in his mind exactly how he was going to approach his father about all of this.

* * *

**7:30pm- Booth Residence**

"No, Pops." Melody signed, pulling the paper from his hand, she scribbled something down and handed it back to him. "That is a doggy." She signed to him, showing the scribbled drawing that she handed back to him.

Booth scrutinized the picture for a moment. "I liked mine better." He said, scowling at the changes she made.

"Your drawing looked more like a rat." Temperance said and signed, walking past the table on her way toward the living room.

"It did not!" Booth argued. "It looked like a dog!" He said with faux offense, listening to the little girl's giggle as she watched Booth shake his head.

"Rat! Rat!" Melody signed and giggled.

"I'll give you a rat!" Booth exclaimed as the little girl squealed and jumped from her chair as he ran after her, listening to her giggle as she climbed under the table and laughed.

"You two are made for one another." Temperance laughed with an eye roll. "Have you heard from Antonia or Aiden?" She asked from the doorway.

"Nope." He shook his head. "I hope they're getting rest though, because this one here isn't showing signs of slowing down." He said, pulling the giggling sprite from beneath the table, he held her by her legs as she laughed. He pulled her into his arms just as the doorbell rang.

"Doorbell." She signed to Melody, who glanced to Booth. "I'll get it." Temperance winked, and turned from the room.

"Nana is the boss." Melody signed, her dark blue eyes sparkling.

"That sign I know… and you're right." Booth laughed as he walked with the little girl into the living room to see who their guest was.

Temperance was just opening the door as Booth walked inside, and he watched his son take two steps past her into the living room, his voice low as he started talking immediately as he paced.

"Parker." Temperance said as she closed the door and watched him pace back and forth, unable to fully comprehend what he was going on about. "Parker." She said again, a bit more sternly.

"Hey!" Booth said, feeling the little girl startle in his arms a bit from his jerking motion stepping toward Parker, the younger man looked up at his father. "Sit down." He said, nodding toward the couch.

Parker stood for a moment, watching his father closely. "Is Ant here?"

"No. She's sick. Mel is here for the night." He said, setting the little girl to the floor, he signed for her to play, and she watched him warily for a moment, then turned her attention toward her Uncle. It was clear that she could feel the tension in the air, and though her guard was always up, she felt safe in the presence of her Pops and Nana. "Go on, finish your picture book." He said, nodding toward the kitchen. He watched her glance to Parker.

"Hi." She signed to Parker.

"Hi, sweetie." Parker said, seeming to relax at the presence of the little girl. "I love you." He signed.

"Love you, Uncle Parker." She signed, smiling as she waved and ran off toward the kitchen to continue her drawing.

"I'm going to go with Melody, let you two have your conversation." Temperance said, dropping a kiss on Parker's cheek she walked toward Booth. She gave his shoulder a slight squeeze, and he knew that it was just a reminder for him not to be too hard on their son.

Parker watched Temperance disappear into the kitchen, and then his eyes flicked to his father's. "You wanted to talk." He said, watching his father simply stand and stare at him for several moments. It was slightly unnerving that he still hadn't said anything. "Dad?"

"Yeah." Booth said, nodding toward the couch again. "Sit down." He said, moving toward the couch himself, he sat down, looking up at Parker.

"I don't know if I want to sit down." He mumbled. "You think Katherine killed her husband." He said, watching Booth lean his back comfortably against the couch as he looked up at him. The expression on his face was blank. "Dad?"

"What? Yes. She's a suspect."

"She didn't do it, Dad." Parker said seriously, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That's not for you to decide. That's why Bones still has a job." Booth said, flinging his thumb toward the kitchen. "Why are you dating a married woman?"

Parker's eyes closed and he took a deep breath. "She wasn't… isn't technically married to him, she was in the process of getting a divorce. He was abusive, and treated her like crap. He was cheating on her."

"So, we have motive." Booth said, watching his son's posture stiffen slightly. "Parker, just sit down. I'm not going to run out and arrest her tonight. We're going to do our research, you know that. We don't just go on someone's word, and we don't jump the gun… so to speak." Booth shrugged. He watched Parker sit down slowly in the chair across from him. "Though I don't recommend eating or drinking anything she offers you." Booth said quickly with a small smile. Parker scowled. "What? It was arsenic poisoning. We don't know how it got into his system, and it appeared to have been happening for a while before the final dose."

"She said that you guys told her that you were still working on cause of death, but I figured if Bones was there, then you had a positive cause." Parker replied.

"Yeah, you know that Bones doesn't just leave the lab when there's still squint work to be done." Booth sighed. "We didn't want to spook Katherine. If she's not involved, then…"

"She's not involved." Parker snapped a bit abruptly.

Booth ignored his son's indignant attitude for the moment and sighed slightly. "If she's not involved, then we owed it to her to at least tell her we found him. If she is involved, we didn't want her to run. Besides, this isn't even my case. This is Aiden's case. He actually has more information than I do. He was the one that talked to Hodgins about the cause of death. I'm just helping out while he recovers from whatever plague is taking over their house."

"Aiden is sick too?"

"Yeah, and so is Max. He'll probably be in the office tomorrow, and he'll probably want to talk to you since you seem to be the closest to our suspect." He replied.

"Katherine." Parker said, his voice still stubborn. "Can we please hold off on the whole suspect talk until we at least have a little more evidence?"

"You and this woman are pretty close, huh?" He asked, watching his son's eyes narrow slightly. "I'm not asking for details. I don't need… I really don't want any details. It was just a simple question."

"Yes, I like her. I do like her a lot. She's kind and thoughtful, and she trusts me." Parker sighed.

"You're very trustworthy." He said softly. "But don't mix up trustworthiness with naivete. Watch your back. I don't want you to get hurt. Physically or emotionally." Booth said seriously.

Parker grunted a little at his father's warning, a sound that typically came from his father was mimicked perfectly in his oldest son, and the darkness of his eyes was becoming a bit stormy. "I can take care of myself, Dad." He said with a shake of his head. "I have to go pick up the boys." He said, standing up. Booth remained sitting, his son towering over him for a moment. "If Aiden needs to talk to Katherine, I'll be there. Just so you're not surprised when I show up."

"I'd expect no less from you, Parker." Booth said, standing up, he held his hand out to his son. "Has she met the boys yet?" He asked curiously. "Because I'd hold off on that if she hasn't. Keep them safe."

"I have to go." Parker said with a sigh, moving toward the door, ignoring his father's peace offering. "Tell Bones that I said goodnight."

"I'll tell her." Booth replied, watching as Parker quickly made his way out of the door, letting it close just a little harder than usual.

Booth stood for a moment, staring at the closed door, trying to work everything through his mind. He was so involved in his thoughts that he didn't hear Temperance until she placed her hand on his shoulder. He turned to meet her eyes, and she could immediately see the concern in them. "What did Parker say?" She asked, tipping her head.

"He basically told me to back off."

"Back off the case?"

"Back off of his personal business." Booth grunted. "He knows that we won't back off the case."

"Are you alright?" Temperance asked, sensing his anxiety.

"Yeah. I just need to find a way of dealing with this case and not lose our kid in the process." He said with a sigh. "Where is Mel?"

Just as he said the words, the kitchen door flew open, and standing in the doorway was the little girl, a paper in her hand. She had a bright grin on her face as she held up the paper. It was a picture of a stick figure with brown hair and with a long nose, long tail, and whiskers. "What is that?" He signed to her, watching her poke her finger at the bottom, where in big letters it said 'Pops the Rat!'. "You little…!" He said as his jaw dropped. She let out a squealing laugh and took off toward the kitchen again. "Bedtime! It's bedtime for you!" He exclaimed as he ran toward her, leaving Temperance to shake her head as she smiled, though concerned for Booth, she was simply happy that for now her husband had a distraction from his deep worry for their eldest son.


	13. More Information

**Saturday, July 13th- 7:00am**

Antonia was roused by the buzzing phone beneath her somewhere. It was a quick double buzz that indicated a text message, and she had no idea where the offending object was tucked. She turned her head slowly to see into the bassinet beside the bed, and her dark eyes focused on the sleeping baby tucked tightly into his swaddle. His breathing was much better, and his little nose wiggled in his sleep. She turned her head toward Aiden just as he let out a slight whimper, clearly in the middle of a dream or nightmare. She lifted her head and watched him for a moment.

His face was pale, and he was sweating, gasping for air as he grasped the blankets tightly to himself. "Aiden?" She whispered as he let out another whimper, she leaned toward him and touched his face, finding it hot to the touch. "Aiden?" She said a little louder.

"No." He whined in his sleep, the sound was excruciatingly sad. "No!" He exclaimed suddenly, his eyes opening wide as he sat up, nearly slamming his head into Antonia's. She had jumped back slightly at his exclamation, finding his eyes wild and unfocused.

"Aiden?" She said clearly, grabbing for him, she watched him turn his face toward her, and for a moment it was almost as if he didn't recognize her, though his eyes quickly cleared. "Are you okay?" She asked. His head fell to the pillow again, his face scrunching into a miserable pout. "Your fever is still pretty bad." She whispered.

He groaned in response, holding the blankets tightly against himself as he shivered, watching the concern flit across her features. "You're pretty." He mumbled into his blankets, watching her brow furrow as she slowly inhaled, releasing it through her nose. "Stop looking at me like that." He mumbled, glaring toward her.

"Like what?"

"Like I'm a pile of remains on a slab, and you're going to examine me." He mumbled. He watched her eyebrow lift, and that slow, lopsided smile slide on her lips. "No." He mumbled, covering himself with the blanket.

"No, what?" She asked, a slight laugh in her response. "I'll get you some Tylenol." She said softly, running her fingers through his hair as she waited for him to look over at her. She tugged at the blanket so that she could see his eyes, and noted that they were a bright green, wet and watery. His cheeks were red and blotchy, and his forehead wrinkled in pain. "I love you." She whispered, leaning forward to kiss his forehead, she could feel the heat rising off him before she even got to him, pressing her lips against his skin.

"You're going to get sicker." He groaned.

"I'm feeling better." She whispered. "Max looks like he's doing better too."

"Good. Because I'm not." He muttered, rolling away from her with his blanket wrapped around him, he covered himself up again and started to cough, all the while whimpering. "I love you." He mumbled from his blanket cocoon.

"I'm going to go get you some medicine." She said softly as she watched the brown hair sticking up from within his blankets and listened to his coughing for a moment before rolling over and climbing from the bed. She noticed Aiden's phone on the mattress and remembered that it had been buzzing a few minutes earlier, and lifted it to see a message on the screen. She glanced to Aiden, and thought to ask him about the strange message, but decided instead to let him rest, taking his phone and her own with her from the room, leaving the boys to their rest for the time being.

She walked down the stairs, dialing her parent's house number as she went, knowing that though it was fairly early, that they'd already be awake. It was only two rings before she heard her father's gruff voice over the line. "Your child wakes up at the butt crack of dawn." Booth said into the line, with no niceties. She could hear the sound of cartoons in the background, and let out a pitiful cough as she cleared her throat. "Give me a break, you're fine."

"You could have just let her watch TV and go back to bed, Dad." Antonia replied. "She's very well behaved."

"Right. And let her try to make French toast by herself and almost burn the house down? That's a good idea, Toni." He mumbled.

"First of all, I was eight years old at the time, and I was making pancakes, not French toast. Secondly, it's not my fault that towels are so flammable." She laughed into the line. "I know you are watching cartoons too, don't pretend you're not. The volume is on, and she doesn't need volume."

"Yeah, well… if I'm going to be forced to watch flying horses with big eyes and tattooed asses, I may as well be able to hear their irritating voices." Booth muttered. "What are you calling for? Melody is behaving. Is everyone doing better?"

"Max is doing much better. I just have a little cough…" She sighed. "From the sounds Aiden's making, he may not make it." She said, laughing a bit nervously. "His fever is still pretty high." She said softly. "I was just wondering if you'd talked to Parker lately." There was a long pause on the line, and when Booth didn't answer right away, Antonia knew that there was something that she hadn't been told yet. "Dad?"

"I talked to him last night. Why?" Booth asked.

"Because he's been texting Aiden all morning, telling him he needs to talk to him ASAP, that he wants to meet at his office and stuff. Is he okay?" Antonia asked.

"Parker? Yeah. Parker's fine." Booth said, though his voice was very unconvincing. Booth heard his daughter's pause, and knew that there was no chance he'd be able to slide anything past her. She is, after all, her mother's daughter. "He's just having a bit of a… he's… It's case related. I can't really talk about it." He blurted, knowing that it was a stupid excuse and there was no way it would fly.

"He knew our victim?" She asked, not even phased by her father's dismissal.

"He's dating our victim's wife." Booth replied, listening to the silence on the line. He knew that she was waiting to hear more. "Our victim is his girlfriend's estranged husband, and she's a suspect."

"Bet that went over well." Antonia scoffed.

"He's not pleased with us right now. It's Aiden's case, so he probably wants to talk to him about it. It's Saturday, so he knows that we probably won't interview her until Monday, but he probably wants to get a jump on getting her cleared as soon as possible."

"He wouldn't be a Booth if he just sat around waiting for something to happen." Antonia said seriously into the line. "There's no way Aiden is getting out of bed today."

"Well then, Parker is going to have to wait, isn't he?" Booth muttered. "Hang on a second…" Booth said, and Antonia listened to some shuffling on the line. She could hear her father's voice, and another voice, and a bit more shuffling on the phone.

"Antonia?" Temperance's voice came over the line, and her concern was clear.

"I'm feeling better, Mom. My fever broke, and I'm much better." She said, though it was clear her voice was a bit scratchy. "The baby's fever broke, and I was up with him a lot during the night, but he's doing well too."

"How is Aiden?" She asked, the hint of concern still very evident in her tone.

"He's not feeling too great." Antonia sighed, glancing toward the stairs. "I'm going to get him some medicine and take the baby out with me for a little while so that he can rest. Did you want to bring Melody to the diner around noon? I can pick her up there."

"That should be fine, if that's what you'd like. She's perfectly welcome to stay here for as long as you need." Temperance replied.

"Well, we can meet for lunch and maybe decide then." Antonia replied, listening to her mother's confirmation. "I'll see you then."

"I love you." Temperance said, and the line cut off.

"Love you too, Mom." Antonia muttered with an eyeroll as she shook her head and glanced toward Aiden's phone. She looked up at the stairs, and the message on the phone again. She quickly typed 'Meet me at the diner at nine-thirty' to Parker from Aiden's phone, and then went to the kitchen to find Aiden some medicine before heading back upstairs to clean up and pack up the baby to meet with her brother for a much needed talk.


	14. Oh, Brother

**Saturday, July 13th- 9:30am**

Antonia pulled the car up to the curb near the diner, and quickly climbed from the seat. She pulled the baby's car seat from its base and watched as his eyes popped open with the movement, a smile appeared on his face when he saw his mother above him, he let out a yawn as he cuddled into his seat. "There's my little guy. I'm so glad you're feeling better." She said, shouldering the diaper bag as she settled the handle of the baby's seat on her elbow and quickly made her way toward the diner.

The diner was fairly busy, so when the bell chimed, Parker didn't bother looking up right away. He was expecting Aiden any minute, and was a bit eager to talk to him. He looked up when a baby car seat was set on the table, and when his eyes met with his sister's, he let out an irritated grunt. "Son of a…"

"Hey." Antonia said, nodding toward the baby. "This one isn't deaf… watch your language." She said, watching him clamp his mouth closed. "Now say hello to your nephew, and tell me what has been going on." She said, sitting in the chair across from him. She nodded toward the waitress holding the coffee pot on the other side of the counter.

"Where's Aiden?" Parker asked.

"Aiden is probably in the middle of a hallucinating fever dream right now, and cuddling with my pillow thinking that it's me." Antonia said, thanking the waitress for the coffee. "Dad told me about your girlfriend."

"Not… girlfriend, friend… that I'm dating… I don't know." Parker said with a frustrated grunt.

"Whatever label you want to put on her, Parker. What's going on? Talk to me." Antonia said, glancing to the baby, and then to her coffee, her eyes lifted to her brother's. "I'm not dad, and I'm not mom. It's just you and me… and Max, but he can't talk yet, so your secrets are safe with him."

"Ant." Parker grumbled.

"Just talk." Antonia said, sipping her coffee.

Parker stared into his sister's eyes for a long second, noting the sincerity within them. They reminded him of his father's, kind and patient. He knew that Antonia could be abrasive and cold at times, but there was only warmth in her expression as she waited for him to speak. He took a slow deep breath, and released it. "What has Aiden told you about Katherine?"

"Nothing." She shrugged. "He came home last night and went to bed. We didn't talk about the case. I saw that you were texting Aiden, and when I called Dad to check on Melody, I asked him about you. All I know is that you've been out with her a few times. So, her name is Katherine?"

"Yes. Katie. Katie Becker." He said, clearing his throat. "You know that I've been going to those widow, bereavement, mixer things, right?" He asked, sounding almost if he were embarrassed.

"Yeah." She shrugged, ensuring him that it was no big deal.

He watched her for a moment, and so no indication of teasing at his expense. "Uh, well… I met her about a month and a half ago at one of them. I hate those things, you know? It's like a meat market, and she was sitting by herself, and I kind of said what my opinion of the get together was, and she laughed." He shrugged. "She's pretty, and she seemed to like my sense of humor, so we started to talk. I invited her to coffee, and so… we've been on a few dates." Parker sighed.

"When did her husband go missing?" She asked, instead of interrogating him about dating a married woman.

"Four years ago." Parker replied. "He left for work and never returned. She thought he had run off with someone since he was a serial cheater, but there was never any evidence of it. She had reported him missing. According to his coworkers he was at work that day, but left at noon and never came back. They thought that he had gotten sick or something and just left for the day. The day I met Katie was the first time she had even gone out to even attempt a social life since her husband disappeared. She decided that he wasn't coming back, and that there was no point in putting her life on hold." He sighed.

Antonia nodded her head in understanding. "It probably wasn't easy for you either, going out and meeting people. It gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it." She said, shivering with a disgusted look, she could see the amusement in Parker's eyes at her discomfort. "I'd like to meet her." Antonia said, watching her brother's eyes narrow slightly.

"So that you can interrogate her?" He asked.

"I'm a scientist, not a cop." Antonia replied.

"So you want to dissect her?" Parker asked, lifting a humored eyebrow, he smiled at the laugh that rang out, sounding all the world like her mother.

"No, I don't want to dissect her." She laughed again. "I just feel like if Dad and Aiden are doing their jobs as law enforcement, then you're going to need someone a little more observant and impartial. You're going to need someone on your side. You don't think she had anything to do with her husband's disappearance. You're not a lovesick idiot, there has to be a reason that you believe she's innocent."

"Because she loved him, Ant. She did. He was an asshole to her, but she didn't leave him. She thought he had left her. When she was told that he was dead, she was genuinely upset. I don't know how to explain it. I don't know her extremely well, but I'd like to think that I can tell when someone is pretending to be upset. What do you know about the case?"

"I only know cause of death, and where he was found. We still haven't figured out where he was killed, or what type of poison. It was arsenic, and we assumed rat poison, but we don't know yet. We're still doing the testing. I don't work with the people, Parker, I work with the science. Science is going to be what takes her out of the suspect pool, evidence. You need to discuss with her exactly what happened both leading up to her husband's disappearance, and her reaction to it. Will you be seeing her this evening? Do you think that I can speak with her before the FBI gets to her?"

"I can see if she's available this evening, if she's up for talking." Parker said, nodding as he watched his sister's eyes for several moments. "Ant, I don't know how to deal with Dad with all of this. He just makes me angry, and when I get angry, he gets angry." Parker sighed.

"He just wants to make sure you're safe. He hates not having control, and he hates not having answers. Trust me, he's going to make you mad, but you just have to take it a day at a time." She shrugged.

"Does he know you're talking to me?" Parker asked.

Antonia let out a short laugh. "No. Aiden doesn't either. He was out of it when I left. I told him I was taking the baby out for a bit, and that I was going to pick up Mel. Mom and Dad will be here at noon. I just wanted to let you know that I've got your back, and that if you need anything, I'm here. I have access to the lab, access to the files. If there's anything that seems off, I'll tell you."

Parker paused for several moments, watching his sister carefully. "I appreciate it, Ant." He sighed.

"I don't like the idea of you being in the middle of all of this. You've been through enough."

"So basically, Dad's tactic is to make me aware of the negatives so that I'll look after myself, and yours is to work with me so that you can protect me?" Parker asked, amused by his sister's insistence.

"I need to be in control. This is how I stay in control." She said sincerely.

"You should tell Aiden." Parker said, looking to the baby who was watching him curiously from his seat. "Just make sure he knows that you're with me on this. I don't want to be a wedge between you two."

"Oh, I'm pretty good at creating a wedge between the two of us on my own, don't you worry about that." Antonia laughed, noting that Parker didn't look amused. "I'll talk to Aiden about it, but he knows that family comes first, Parker. He understands that."

"Thank you." Parker said, nodding his head. "I'm going to get going. I'll talk to Katie about meeting up with you tonight. She knows the FBI is going to want to talk to her on Monday, but it'll make me feel a little more at ease if we can get her some answers soon. Bones and Dad didn't tell her cause of death, they just asked her a few questions and told her that they'd be in touch. It is probably just a tactic that they use, see if she will slip up with information that only the killer would know."

"Yeah. That's usually how they work, the least amount of information leaked, the better." Antonia replied. "Just let me know what time you want to meet tonight. If Aiden isn't feeling better tonight, I may need to have Ace watch the kids for me. She said, watching Parker give Max a playful tickle.

"I'll see you later, buddy." Parker said with a smile, watching the baby smile up at him as he stood up. He glanced to Antonia. "Thank you for your help, Ant."

"Hey, I just want the right person to go to jail for this. Emotions can run high, and I don't want you to get caught up in it." She said, watching Parker nod in agreement.

"I'm lucky to have a genius on my side." He grinned, grasping his sister's hand.

"Yeah, you are." She said with a laugh, feeling his playful shove to her shoulder as he laughed and excused himself, making his way quickly out of the diner.


	15. Lunch Bunch

**12:00pm**

Antonia walked down the street, Max happily buckled into his stroller as she turned the corner toward the diner. After her conversation with Parker, she decided to get a little bit of exercise and fresh air in before her parents met her with Melody. Just as she turned the corner, she watched her father lift Melody from her car seat to set her on the ground. He looked up and could see Antonia coming, and immediately grabbed the little girl's hand, knowing full well that she'd take off like a shot the second she saw her mother, which is exactly what she tried to do.

"Good call, Dad!" Antonia called as she quickly walked toward them, watching her mother get out of the car.

"I'm a man of action." He said, holding the little girl securely in his grip as she pulled against him, grunting as she tried to get him to let go.

Antonia got closer to them, and he let her go, watching her run at full speed toward her brother and mother. The baby let out a squeal at the sight of his sister, and she immediately bent down to give the baby a hug, and a kiss on his forehead, looking into his eyes as she tickled him and smiled at the little boy. "Do you see where I rate on the scale of who she loves?" Antonia teased, catching the little girl's blue eyes, a smile on her face, she tackled her mother, squeezing her tightly as Antonia laughed and ran her fingers through the little girl's blonde hair.

"I think you're right at the top." Temperance said, stepping up alongside Booth on the sidewalk. "Are you feeling better?" She asked, approaching her daughter, she nearly placed her hand to her forehead out of habit, but instead crouched down to see the baby, pushing her cool hand very gently against his temple as he looked up at her with bright eyes, and smiled at her.

"We're both doing much better." She said softly. "He still has a little cough and some sniffles, but the fever is gone." Antonia replied, running her fingers through Melody's hair as the little girl continued to hug her, looking up at her with a smile.

"Where is daddy?" She signed, taking a step back, she looked around with a concerned frown.

"Daddy is at home sleeping. He's not feeling well." Antonia signed to her, watching her brow furrow slightly. "It's nothing for you to worry about, little one." She said, watching those blue eyes narrow slightly at her. "We'll bring him some soup." She signed, watching as a bright smile lit up the little girl's face.

"Okay." She signed back with a nod.

"Why don't we go inside and get ourselves something to eat?" Booth said, nodding toward the diner, he watched Temperance roll her eyes at him with a slight smile. "What?"

"Nothing, Dad." Antonia said with a teasing voice as she kissed him on the cheek and moved past him with the stroller, as Melody grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him along.

* * *

Once seated in the diner, Booth quickly unlatched Max from his stroller and lifted him into his lap as they made quick work of ordering their lunch. "Are you doing alright?" Temperance asked her daughter, watching her dark eyes lift to meet her mother's. "Aiden mentioned that you had a bit of a panic attack yesterday." Melody sat beside Antonia, playing with her fingers as she cuddled against her.

"Aiden didn't say she had a panic attack. Aiden said she took off." Booth said, bouncing the baby on his knee, not realizing that Temperance was trying to keep the conversation lighter, while also checking to see if she was alright. Booth looked up at his wife's angry glare and tipped his head slightly. A silent conversation between them sent Booth back to his task of amusing the baby in his lap.

"I panicked, we argued, then we talked, and everything is fine, I think." She said, looking slightly confused. "We're fine." She nodded definitively. "Max is feeling better, that's what matters." She said, watching as the baby reached for her father's spoon, grabbing it up in his chubby little fist, he looked across at his mama and smiled and shook it at her, making her smile back at him.

"Have you thought about what we discussed last week?" Temperance asked, watching her daughter's eyes snap to hers, her smile disappearing at her mother's question.

"No." She said, shaking her head, her tone a bit sharp. "I told you it's too early." She said, sighing. "It's too early."

"Antonia, she's nearly seven years old." Temperance said, watching the little girl across from her focus on her Nana, unsure of what she was talking about, she was pretty sure that they were talking about her. "She deserves for you to at least try."

"Mom, she's officially been our kid for under six months. She's been through hell and back before that. I am not comfortable with adding the stress of a cochlear implant to the list of things she has to worry about or be afraid of. I just want her to enjoy being a kid for a little while before we decide on something life changing like that. Besides, we haven't even asked her if it's something that she wants. It should be her decision." She said, noticing that Melody's attention was brought to the window, as she let out a squeak, shoving her face and hands against the window as she watched the tall gait of a man walking with a woman toward the diner. He looked up and a grin was brought to his face as he approached the window. "Ace… don't…" Antonia muttered as he approached the window and made a face at the little girl, who proceeded to push her face into the window harder. Antonia tried to pull her away from the glass, but she just made more faces, ignoring her mother's tugging.

"You used to do the same thing when he'd come to the window." Booth said, as Ace continued to make faces at the little girl until Rebecca grabbed his collar and pulled him toward the diner as she scolded him playfully.

"It's gross." She said, giving her father a withering glance.

When Ace turned away from the window, Melody turned and signed. "Ape!" as she slid from her chair as the diner door opened, and they walked inside. Antonia tried to grab her, but it was no use, she was already hurtling through the diner toward him, giggling when he lifted her into the air, wrapping her arms around his neck as he held her close.

They walked toward the table and waved, as Ace dropped a kiss on the little girl's temple and let her down to the floor, and she slipped back into her seat beside Antonia. "Hey, guys." He said, leaning down to give Antonia a kiss on the cheek as Rebecca stepped to his other side to see the baby, and say hello to Booth and Temperance. "You look like you're feeling better." He said, giving Antonia a scrutinizing look. Everything's okay at home?"

"Yes." She said, taking a deep breath and releasing it in a sigh.

"And little Ace is doing better?" He asked, watching Rebecca tickle the baby as he giggled happily.

"Much better." She sighed. "Thank you." She said as she felt his hand gently rub her shoulder as she smiled up at him.

"Good." He said, giving her nose a poke, she swatted at his hand and scowled at him.

Rebecca shook her head at Ace's teasing and swatted at him to stop picking on Antonia. "Have you spoken to Parker lately? He's seemed kind of out of sorts this morning. He dropped the boys off at nine without an explanation, and then just swept in and left at 10:30. He seemed kind of agitated." She sighed.

It was clear that Rebecca hadn't been told of the situation regarding Parker just yet, and for the time being, they felt that if he wanted to tell her anything, that he would, especially since they were still in the evidence gathering portion of the investigation. "I haven't spoken with him today." Temperance said truthfully, looking to Antonia. "Have you seen your brother."

"Nope." Antonia said, shrugging slightly. She looked up as the food was being delivered, happy to have the distraction. Rebecca and Harding moved to the side, and smiled at the waitress. Ace was watching Antonia very carefully. He knew that there was something more behind her response, mostly because it was just simply one word. Unlike her mother, Antonia was a world class liar when she needed to be. Nobody else caught on to her silence, and when her dark eyes lifted to his, just as Rebecca started tugging them to their own table, his eyes narrowed at her. He was just about to ask her another question when he noticed her subtle sign of 'stop', when nobody was paying attention, her dark eyes serious and stern.

"Alright, we're going to let you guys eat." He said, turning slightly with Rebecca, but not before sending a quick sign of 'liar' to Antonia, who simply averted her eyes back to the table, and started eating her lunch.

* * *

After a few minutes of eating, Antonia noticed that her father was watching her closely, averting his eyes when she'd look at him. "What?" She asked, watching as he looked up at her and then back to his meal.

"Nothing." He shrugged.

"You're staring at me. What is it?"

"It's nothing." Booth said, shaking his head, he bounced the baby a little on his knee as the little boy watched everything at the table, and periodically would grab at something, that would quickly be pulled out of his reach.

"Dad." Antonia sighed. "What is it?"

"Are you going to ask Melody about what happened at daycare yesterday?" He asked, watching a mask of confusion slide over her features, and she quickly glanced at Melody who had half of her cheeseburger shoved in her mouth as she ate, her cheeks puffed out.

"Hey, hey..." Antonia said, pulling the burger from her hands. "Swallow what is in your mouth first, you are not a chipmunk." She said, watching the wide blue eyes of the little girl as she munched on what she had already bitten and reached for her cheeseburger again. "No." She said, glancing to Booth. "Aiden said it was taken care of."

"She's being bullied, Toni." Booth said, watching his daughter's brow furrow.

"She took care of the bully, didn't she?" Antonia asked, handing her the cheeseburger.

"Punching another child is not appropriate behavior." Temperance said, watching as her daughter's ears seemed to redden slightly out of irritation.

Antonia let out a sigh, and glanced to Melody. "Did you hit someone yesterday at daycare?" She signed quickly, watching as Melody's eyes widened. She swallowed what she had in her mouth very hard, and whimpered. She had no idea that her mother had heard about the incident from the day before, and suddenly felt a wave of guilt and fear wash over her.

"Yes." She nodded, setting her burger on her plate, her eyes dropped and her hands slipped to her lap as she waited for her scolding, making a face like her tummy suddenly hurt, or she was waiting to be hit.

Antonia reached toward her and touched her chin, sending her focus back to her mother, and she gritted her teeth, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them to her mother's stern, but loving stare. She released her chin and tipped her head. "Was he being mean to you?" She asked.

"Yes." She nodded, still feeling an intense pang of shame in her belly. "He crumpled my paper. He made fun of me, and he poked me." She signed, letting out a little grunt of displeasure. "He made me very mad." She signed sharply

"What do we do when someone makes us mad?" She signed, watching the little girl shrug. "Melody." She signed, lifting her eyebrows. "What do we do when someone is mean, and they make us mad?"

"Tell an adult." She signed, looking back at her plate, she pushed it away from herself, suddenly having lost her appetite. She sighed and glanced to her mother. "I told him that I was sorry." She signed to Antonia.

"That's a good first step." She said, leaning forward, she rested her forehead on the little girl's, staring into her eyes for a number of seconds. She leaned her cheek against Melody's, giving her a slight hug. "I love you." She said, letting her daughter feel the vibration of her words, and her breath skate across her cheek. She leaned back and signed the same, watching the fear and shame begin to disappear from her expression.

"I love you, Mommy." She signed back, giving her a small smile, her eyes ventured over to Booth and Temperance, who were watching the exchange. She felt a little embarrassed, but happy that her mother didn't seem too angry with her. She looked to Antonia and sighed. "No more hitting. I promise."

"No more hitting." Antonia signed back. "Eat your lunch." She said, watching as Melody reached quickly for her burger. "Slowly." She signed quickly with wide eyes, watching the sly grin on the little girl's face as she took a tiny bite of the cheeseburger, and giggled, watching Antonia's matching smile right back at her as she shook her head.


	16. Ain't No Complainin'

**1:00pm-**

Booth stretched as he dropped the fork on his plate and yawned a little. "I don't know about you, Bones. I'm ready for an after-lunch nap." He said, glancing to his wife, as Temperance furrowed her brow.

"You can drop me off at the lab." She said, watching him nod his head and yawn again. "Apparently, Pops can't keep up with the little ones anymore." She said to Antonia, who laughed a little.

"That 'little one' woke me up at five thirty in the morning." Booth grumbled.

"That's the time I wake up every morning." Antonia said, smiling slightly. "I'm tired too though. I was up most of the night with that little cuddle monster." She said, nodding to her mother who was holding Max against her as he slept soundly.

"Mama." Melody signed, tapping Antonia's hand. Antonia looked to the little girl curiously. "Don't forget to get Daddy his soup." She signed, her face very serious.

"We won't forget." She signed, leaning down to kiss her the little girl on her forehead. "We both missed you very much." She signed, watching the little girl's serious expression lighten to a beautiful smile. She never tired of knowing how much her parents thought of her, and sometimes craved just that little reassurance.

"I missed you too, Mama. We made you a birthday present." She signed, glancing to Booth, who put his finger over his lips to make sure she remembered it was a secret.

"Really? A birthday present?" Antonia spoke and signed as she gave her father and mother a sly grin.

"It's a secret." Melody signed, glancing to her Pops with a smile. He winked at her, and when she tried to wink back, she ended up closing both of her eyes, but grinned brightly thinking she had winked back at him. She grinned at Antonia happily. "I'm a good secret keeper." She signed.

"You are a very good secret keeper." She said, making a face at the little girl just to make her giggle.

"We should probably get going." Temperance said, shifting with the baby carefully, she stood up as Booth stood up as well, moving out of the way, she carefully placed the baby in Antonia's arms. He remained sleeping soundly, only moving just a little when he was passed to his mother. "I love you, little prince." Temperance said, kissing the baby tenderly on his cheek as she watched Antonia carefully for a moment. "If you or Aiden need anything, please ask."

"We will, Mom. Thank you for keeping an eye on Melody for us last night."

"That is never a problem. I like having little ones around. It keeps things interesting." She said, signing her goodbye to Melody, who blew her a kiss and said goodbye.

"See you later, kid. Have Aiden call me when he is feeling upright again." Booth said, dropping a kiss on Antonia's cheek. She nodded her head and he ushered Temperance out of the diner, sending a wave to Ace and Rebecca as they left.

Antonia then gathered Melody's things, and placed the diaper bag in the stroller as she held Max to her. She nodded toward the counter to Melody, signing 'soup' with her free hand. She grinned and walked to the counter behind the little girl, smiling when she saw her spinning on the stool, just as she liked to do when she was a little girl. She got the waitresses attention and asked for a bowl of chicken noodle soup to go. As she waited, she gently bounced the sleeping baby, and warned Melody that she'd be sick if she kept spinning, though laughed when she acted dizzy and silly.

Suddenly, there was a hand on her shoulder, and she jumped a little at the contact. She immediately recognized the hand out of the corner of her eye. "Didn't mean to make you jump." Ace said, catching her eyes as she turned to face him. "You're up to something with Parker." He said, narrowing his eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said, gently rubbing the baby's back.

"Toni, you work at the lab, you can't take sides." Ace replied. "You need to be impartial."

"I'm not taking sides. I'm being reasonable. I'm looking at everything from all angles. Parker trusts me, and I trust him. It would benefit you in the long run, if you trusted him too." She said. "If something isn't right, I'm going to tell him, Ace. I need Parker to be safe too. I need you to keep your trap shut though, and not tell Dad that I'm on Parker's side on this. I'm meeting Katherine tonight."

"Toni." He said, sighing as he clenched his jaw. "She's a suspect."

"I'm careful, Ace. You know that." She said, smiling slightly at him. "What's she going to do, poison me too? Maybe she's graduated to antifreeze or bludgeoning." Antonia said with a snort.

"Antonia." Ace said with a serious glare.

"I promise, I'll be careful." She sighed, glancing to the paper bag that was handed to her as she dropped the money down on the counter for the waitress to take. "Do you think you can watch these two tonight? I don't think that Aiden is going to be up for it." She said, watching him tip his head slightly. "Please, Ace? Little Ace loves his Oompa so much, and Melody wants one of your special story times." She said, giving him a faux pout that made him narrow his eyes.

"Are you attempting to bribe a federal agent?" Ace asked.

"Every day of my life." She smiled, helping Melody from the stool, she handed her the bag with the soup. "I'll let you know when I need you." She said, reaching her hand up to pinch his cheek, tenderly. "Thanks, Ape. I love you." She said, as he scowled at her as she started pushing the stroller toward the door of the diner, with Melody at her heels.

"Don't call me that." He grumbled, as she glanced back at him and smiled, and walked out of the diner with the kids.

* * *

**1:30pm-**

Antonia walked up to the front door of the house, the baby seat was on one arm, and Melody stood beside her holding a paper bag with chicken noodle soup. She glanced to Melody and signed quickly to her. "Daddy might be sleeping, so keep quiet."

Melody nodded and reached for the doorknob, opening the door for her mother, and they walked into the house. The first thing that Antonia realized was how quiet the house was. She had called to check in on Aiden at noon and he hadn't answered the phone, but as sick as he was, she didn't expect him to. She lifted the baby's seat into the living room, looking around for any sign that Aiden had left the bedroom, and found none. Carefully, she put the baby's car seat on the floor, and lifted him from within it, holding him against her as she looked down at Melody, who was watching her expectantly. "Put the soup in the refrigerator. I will check on daddy." She said, signing what she could with one hand. Melody nodded and ran for the kitchen quickly.

Antonia stepped up the stairs, gently patting the baby's back as she made her way down the hallway toward the bedroom. "Aiden?" She called, noticing their bedroom door was open a crack. She pushed it open slowly and noticed the unmoving lump in the middle of the bed. She gently placed Max in his bassinet and stepped toward the bed. "Aiden?" She said, crawling across the bed, she pulled at the blanket, finding that he had cocooned himself very well in the blankets. "Hey…" She said, pulling the blanket from his face, she could already feel the heat through the blanket. "Aiden." She said, tugging the blanket harder.

"Stop!" He groaned, trying to roll away from her. "It's too cold in here!" He complained, as he started to cough. It started as a light cough, but only became worse, as he tried to catch his breath.

"Aiden, breathe…" She said, trying to pull the blanket up off him. "You have to sit up, Aiden."

"Stop." He said between coughs, his lungs wheezing with each intake of breath.

"Aiden, sit up, now!" She exclaimed, pulling at the blanket, he nearly rolled completely out of the bed, pushing against the blankets, he was able to free himself, eventually sitting up as he shivered. His coughing slowed as he sit on the edge of the bed, whining with each cough. "I'm taking you to the emergency room." She said, standing up to walk around the bed.

"No." He muttered, letting out a pitiful cough. "I'm fine. I just…" He started to argue as he coughed again.

"Aiden, you need medicine."

"You're a doctor, give me medicine!" He whined, looking at her. His eyes were bloodshot and full of tears, and it was clear that his fever was extremely high.

"Yes, but I work with dead people, and I'd prefer that you not die, okay?" She said, crouching in front of him. She reached up and touched his forehead. "Your fever is way too high, buddy."

"Your hand is so cold." He whined, leaning down to touch her face. "You are so pretty." He whispered.

"See that, you're delirious." She winked. "Come with me, you need to cool off in the bathroom, I need to get you into a cool tub." She said, taking his hand, he resisted a little.

"I don't wanna go." He whined.

"Good lord, if you weren't six-foot four, I'd think you were an infant." She said, pulling his hand, he stood up and walked with her to the bathroom. She glanced to the doorway to see Melody peeking inside. "Hey." She said, tugging his arm a little. "Tell your daughter that you're okay."

He glanced over to her and the concern on her face was palpable. "Daddy is ok." He signed slowly.

"She brought you soup, it's downstairs." Antonia told him.

"I love soup." He signed, smiling at the little girl, who grinned back at him.

"Play in your room, please." Antonia signed. The little girl nodded and went to her room.

"I really don't think I could eat soup." Aiden muttered.

"Well thank you for humoring her… now get your ass in the bathroom before I push you in there." She said, looking up at him with a smile that made him narrow his eyes at her.

"It's no wonder you're only a doctor for dead people, you know?" He mumbled, stumbling with her into the room.

"Never heard a complaint yet." She said, giving him a wink as she attempted to help him lower his fever.


	17. Fever Pitch

Antonia helped Aiden to the bathroom, leaning down to turn the faucet on, putting cool water in the tub. She turned to see he was moving toward the door. "Not so fast there, Fitzgerald." She said, watching him turn to face her again, a look of innocence crossing his features. "Come on, disrobe…" She said, reaching for him.

"I can take a bath by myself, thank you very much." He muttered grumpily, backing up toward the door as if he would take off running if she came nearer.

She put her hand under the running water and stood straight, tugging at the shower curtain to make sure it wasn't in the way. She stepped toward him and tugged at his t-shirt. "Come on, arms up." She said, as if she were speaking to a child, smiling at his scowl

"Stop it!" He whined, the words long and drawn out as he let out a pathetic little cough. "I don't understand how you don't still have a fever, or why Max is feeling better so quickly, but I am at death's door." He coughed louder. "It's not fair."

"We have stronger immune systems." She said, watching him glare at her. "Fine, I have a stronger immune system, and Max is still on breast milk. Also, you're not at death's door, drama queen." She sighed, checking the water again.

"Yes I am." He grumbled with a cough, lightly knocking on the door behind him, she gave him a scowl, and he smiled sheepishly. "Didn't you hear that?" He asked.

"You're clearly feeling good enough to make lame jokes." She said, smiling sweetly at him as she yanked at his shirt again. "Off… let's go." She said, watching as he pulled his shirt off over his head, he started to shiver as she lay her cool hand against his chest. She turned toward the medicine cabinet and opened it quickly.

"What are you doing? I'm freezing to death here." He said, seriously considering escaping through the door. "Tex." He whined.

She turned around with a thermometer in her hand. "I swear to God, if you whine like that at me one more time, I'm going to take away your man card." She said, shoving the thermometer into his mouth.

"What's a man card?" He mumbled around the thermometer.

"Stop talking." She said, as she walked around the bathroom looking for a cloth, and back into the medicine cabinet as she looked for something else.

"I just want to understand what you're talking about." He mumbled, watching her eyes flick to him, he smirked around the thermometer. "Where did you go earlier?"

"Aiden, stop talking. I told you where I was going. I took the baby out of the house for a little while to give you time to sleep." She said, reaching for his hand. He gave it to her, and she popped two pain relievers onto it, and handed him a dixie cup with water.

"You said you were going out, not where." He mumbled.

"Quiet." She said, taking the thermometer out of his mouth, she looked at the temperature and scowled. He popped the pills she had given him into his mouth, and sipped the water, setting the cup onto the sink.

"Tex?" He said, before she shoved the thermometer back into his mouth again.

"Aiden, stop talking so I can get a proper reading on the thermometer. If you don't, I'll be forced to take other measures." She said with a lifted eyebrow, watching his eyes widen, and she turned to check the bathtub.

He pulled the thermometer out of his mouth. "Don't they have those thermometers that go in your ear, or you hover over the temple and…." She snapped her head in his direction and he shoved the thermometer back into his mouth. "Sorry." He mumbled around it.

She watched the water fill the tub, turning it off as it got to a reasonable level. "I had breakfast with Parker this morning." She said, acting extremely nonchalant, she turned and pulled two towels from the linen closet beside the bathtub. She turned to see Aiden simply watching her. "You didn't tell me that his girlfriend was involved in our case." She said, watching his eyebrow lift, he kept his mouth clamped around the thermometer. "Hmm… not so loose with the lips now, are we buddy?" She said with a smile. "I'm going to meet her tonight." She said, setting the towels into his hands, and started for the door.

He pulled the thermometer out of his mouth then, shaking his head. "No, you're not." He said, turning to see that she had stopped moving toward the door. She turned sharply toward him and grabbed the thermometer out of his hand. "39 degrees Celsius." She said, making a face.

"Can't you just tell me it in Fahrenheit like a normal American?" He grumbled.

"It's 102.2. Get in the cold bath and lower it." She said, setting the thermometer on the counter. "And yes. I am going to meet Katherine this evening." She said, opening the door to the bathroom, she walked into the bedroom, rolling her eyes when she heard him following after her.

"Tex, you're not going to go meet my suspect alone." He said, reaching for her shoulder as she walked away, his hand held it lightly and she stopped.

"Unless you would like me to twist your hand off at the wrist and shove it into your ear, I suggest you let go of me." She said, as he dropped his hand, and she turned to face him. "I wasn't asking for permission." She said, clearing her throat. "I was giving you the courtesy of letting you know."

"You're not going alone, Antonia. No way." He shook his head. "I need you here tonight to help with the kids. I can't have you running off again when I need your help!" He exclaimed, immediately regretting his choice of words. He wanted to just blame it on how miserable he was feeling, but from the fire that had ignited in her eyes, he knew that it was far too late.

"Excuse me?" She exclaimed angrily. "Don't you dare throw that in my face!"

"Why not? It just happened yesterday, do you think I've forgotten about it already?" He shouted angrily. "It's going to be a long time before I forget about that, Antonia." He said angrily. "You are not leaving me with a 102 fever to take care of two children while you run off and do something stupid! You are not meeting with her alone! Not until after she's been completely vetted and interviewed." He said, pointing his finger at her.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "For your information, Saint Aiden, Patron saint of overprotective jerks, I won't be there alone. Parker will be there, and Ace is going to watch the kids for us. So I've taken care of everything."

"Except the part where you impede my investigation by talking to the only suspect we have in the case before I have a chance to." Aiden said, shaking his head. "And you know what else? I'm getting really sick of Ace sticking his neck in where it doesn't belong! He needs to mind his own goddamned business!" He growled as he started to cough. He held his hand over his mouth as he turned away from her, coughing harder, finding it difficult to catch his breath, wheezing as he bent over, groaning with each cough.

"Let me get you some water." She said with an irritated sigh. She started to turn as his coughing slowed and he grabbed her hand.

"I don't need water." He grunted when she turned back to him. "I need you to stop interfering with my investigation." He coughed.

"What are you investigating? You can't even stand upright, Aiden! I just want to do a little bit of my own investigating, and make sure that this woman is getting a fair shake before you and my dad get your FBI trained interrogation skills all up in her face and scare her half to death." She exclaimed.

"That's the point of an interrogation, Antonia! If we didn't invoke fear in the suspect, then it would be called a freakin' tea party!" He said, throwing his hands up in the air. "You are not going!"

"I'm going!" She shouted. "I'm going, and there is nothing that you can do or say about it!" She exclaimed, as suddenly there was the sound of a crash from downstairs, followed by a scream.

"Melody." Antonia and Aiden said at the same time, as they took off out of the bedroom, and raced downstairs.

The two of them nearly tripped over one another to reach the bottom of the stairs, careening around the corner at the sound of the little girl's sobs. They burst into the kitchen to find Melody standing on a chair in front of the stove, clearly trying to reach the microwave. She was sobbing as she stood there, covered from head to toe with chicken noodle soup, the microwave door wide open, a bowl smashed on the floor. Antonia carefully stepped toward her and pulled her off the chair, checking her over for injuries or burns.

"Is she okay? Did she get burned?" Aiden asked, approaching them quickly, stopping his bare feet before he stepped into the mess, as the little girl gripped Antonia tightly.

"No. It wasn't warmed up yet, Thank God." She said, feeling the cold broth that was seeping into her clothes. She hugged the sobbing girl tightly as she picked noodles out of her hair, and sat down on a dining room chair.

"What happened, baby girl?" He signed to Melody, as her sobs slowed and she looked up at Aiden. She hiccuped and watched him for a moment, her lower lip trembling as she sniffled.

"I think she was trying to surprise you with your soup." Antonia said, rocking the little girl as she shifted her around to sit in her lap. "I can't tell if she's upset that it fell on her, that she broke the bowl, or that you don't have any soup anymore."

"Hey, baby girl." Aiden said, crouching down to her level, he leaned forward and pulled a noodle off her cheek. He popped it into his mouth and lifted his eyebrows. "Good soup." He signed, making a face at her, her eyes dropped to her lap for a moment, and Aiden touched her chin, lifting her eyes to his. "Thank you for trying." He signed, watching the pout on her face reappear.

"I'm sorry." She signed back, looking down at her wet clothes, she sniffled in sadness. "I lost your soup." She signed. "I wanted to surprise you. I'm sorry." She whimpered. "Please don't be mad."

"Are you hurt?" He asked her, watching her shake her head. "That is all that matters to me." He said, holding his arms out to her, she reached for him and wrapped her arms around him, tightly gripping his neck as he rocked her gently, standing up with a bit of effort as he held her. "I love you." He said, his eyes on Antonia as he spoke. "I would die if anything bad ever happened to you. Do you understand?" She nodded, knowing that he wasn't simply speaking to Melody.

After several moments, she stood up and leaned toward him, dropping a kiss on his cheek, still feeling the heat radiating off his feverish body. "Okay." She sighed. "I'm going to take her upstairs and get her cleaned up in her bathroom, and then clean up this mess." She said as she carefully lifted Melody from Aiden, and the little girl quickly wrapped her arms around her mother, still looking for comfort. "You, young man, are going to go upstairs and attempt to get your fever down a few degrees with your nice cold bath that I drew for you. We will talk more later." She said, putting her hand on his shoulder to turn him around. She put her hand on his back and pushed him lightly toward the stairs.

"Aww." He whined, coughing a little as he turned shuffled toward the stairs. "Do I have to?"

"That's enough whining." She chided as he climbed the stairs slowly, and she climbed up behind him.

"For the record..." He said as he reached the top of the stairs and let out a cough. "Saint Aidan is the patron saint of firefighters, not overprotective jerks." He said, watching her eyes narrow as he stepped into the bedroom. "That's right, Miss Smarty pants, I know things too!" He said, closing the bedroom door.

"Take your bath, smart ass!" She exclaimed, rolling her eyes as she turned with Melody toward the other bathroom to get her cleaned up.


	18. Boiling Point

**Saturday, July 13th- 6:00pm**

Antonia was standing in the kitchen when the doorbell rang. She looked up toward the little girl sitting quietly across from her with a book on the counter and her head in her hands as she watched her mother pull the pan off the burner, and turned to her. "I will be right back." She signed to Melody. "Don't touch the stove, please."

"I'm done cooking forever, Mama." She signed back, giving her mother her a lopsided grin to show her that she was just joking around.

Antonia rolled her eyes and smiled. "Good girl." She signed, shaking her head as she walked quickly toward the door before the bell went off again and woke Aiden or Max. She wiped her hands with the towel she was holding, and opened the door to Ace's smiling face. "Ace." She said, smiling at her guest. "I thought you weren't going to be here until seven." She said, stepping aside for him to enter, she followed him with her eyes as she closed the door behind him.

"I figured I'd stop by early." He shrugged. "Rebecca is working on a big case, and your dad is busy helping Gracie with something."

"You didn't have anybody to play with, so you figured you'd come over here?" Antonia asked, smiling when he shrugged and nodded. "Come in, I'm making soup for Aiden." She said, walking toward the kitchen.

"Poor kid. How's he feeling?" Ace asked, following after her.

"His fever is down, but still not broken. He has a horrible cough, and has been a crank all afternoon." She said, stepping toward the stove. "He's sleeping right now."

Melody looked up from the book she had on the counter to see Ace walk in, and her smile brightened to full wattage. "Ace!" She signed, sliding from the bar stool, she nearly tumbled off it to get to him, running to hug his legs, she looked up at him with a giggle.

"You'd think she didn't just see me this morning." Ace said, lifting the little girl up into the air as she let out a loud, happy laugh.

"Well, you are her favorite person in the world." Antonia said as she rolled her eyes playfully, stirring the pot on the stove as she looked into it. "She talks about you all the time." Antonia said as she turned around, setting the spoon down. She signed as she spoke, watching Melody as she 'listened'. "She says you tell the best stories, and you make the best grilled cheese, and that you let her stay up late when you watch her and Max when Aiden and I are working late." She said, giving Ace a pointed look.

Melody's eyes were wide, as she looked at Ace. "You told?" He signed, watching the little girl shake her head.

"She didn't have to tell me." Antonia replied. "I know an overtired six year old when I see it, Oompa." Antonia said with a sly smile toward Ace's sheepish expression. "Besides, you forget that you were my babysitter. I know all of your tricks." She said.

Ace set Melody to the floor, and she ran over toward her bar stool and scrambled onto it, and promptly patted the one next to her for Ace to sit. He walked to the bar stool and sat down, glancing to the book she was reading, he started talking to her about it, and Antonia turned back to the stove.

Antonia looked up when she heard shuffling coming in their direction, and when Aiden appeared in the doorway, he looked miserable. He was dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, and his hair was sticking in all directions. His face was pale but for the red blotchy cheeks from his fever. "Hey." She said, watching the scowl on his face intensify as soon as he saw Ace sitting at the counter. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." He grumbled.

Ace looked over toward Aiden and immediately noticed the angry glare sent in his direction. "Hey, Fitz." He said, knowing that if he told the other man that he looked like crap, that there might be a brawl.

"Why are you here?" He grunted, watching Antonia come toward him, he continued glaring at Ace as she placed her hand on his forehead. Ace ignored the tone and turned back to Melody, deciding that it was probably best not to engage Aiden while he was feeling so miserable.

"He's watching the kids when I go out." She said, blocking his view of Ace, she looked him in the eyes and could see that they were bloodshot, making them all the more green. "You know why he's here."

"Yes, but why is he here right now?" Aiden grumbled. "He's always around. Doesn't he have his own family he can harass?"

"Stop it, right now." She whispered. "Your soup is almost done." She said, feeling very self conscious, not wanting Ace to be upset by Aiden's foul mood.

"I don't want soup." He mumbled, glaring at Ace.

"You need to eat something. It'll make you feel better." She said, ignoring his demeanor.

"You know, he doesn't have to watch the kids. I can watch the kids myself." Aiden mumbled, sitting awkwardly at the table, he rested his head in his hands.

"It's no problem." Ace said, watching the younger man continue to keep his head in his hand. "Mel and I have a good time together." He said, signing to the little girl, whose smile was bright as she watched her good friend smile back at her. "Right, Melody?" Aiden looked up at them.

"Ace is my favorite." She signed. "He's not grumpy like daddy." She signed, not realizing that she was only adding fuel to the fire.

"You know what? Whatever." Aiden growled, kicking at the chair as he stood up, he walked angrily out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Antonia jumped at the sound, and turned to look at Ace, concern evident in her eyes. "I'm really sorry about his behavior. He's just not feeling well, and that coupled with…"

"Just go. I'll keep an eye on the soup." Ace said, shrugging. "You don't have to apologize to me. You invited me here. It's fine."

"He's just irritated that I went to you yesterday." She sighed, watching Ace nod as he stood up to man the stove.

"I answer your phone calls, Toni. Always." He shrugged, dipping the spoon in the pot. "He probably isn't too happy with you going to Katherine's this evening." He said, watching her eyes narrow. "But you're stubborn." He shrugged. She shook her head and followed after where Aiden had disappeared to.

She walked through to the living room, finding Aiden lying awkwardly on the couch, his legs hanging over the side. He was looking up at her with an expression that told her that he knew exactly what was coming, even if he was still scowling at her. "What is your problem?" She growled at him. "I get that you're not feeling well, and that you're still mad about yesterday, okay? But you don't have to be a total ass to Ace. He came here because I asked him to help out. I did it for you!" She whispered angrily.

"Whatever." He mumbled.

"Are you going to be nice to him while he's here? Or do I have to just ask him to take the kids with him?" She raised her eyebrows.

"No." He said, watching her eyes narrow. "I'll be just fine." He mumbled.

"Promise me, Aiden." She said, breathing heavily through her nose, she watched him roll his eyes, and she shook her head angrily. "Aiden."

He sighed. "I promise I won't be rude to Ace." He said, coughing a little. "I am not just mad about yesterday, for the record. I'm mad because he agreed to help you out tonight with the kids, and didn't tell you not to go at all."

"He did tell me not to go, Aiden. He also knows that I'm not an idiot, and I'm not going to put myself in danger, and that I'm not going to take no for an answer." She said, watching Aiden sigh.

"So he knows that you're pigheaded?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"And stubborn." He said, watching her roll her eyes. "And obstinate." He said.

"Okay, that's enough." She said, watching him for a moment.

"And determined to drive us all insane with worry." He continued.

"I'm going back into the kitchen." She said as she started to walk away.

"And contrary!" He exclaimed as she disappeared from view, he let out a hacking cough of a laugh when he heard the door close behind her. "I love you!"

"I love you too, pain in my ass." She said, opening the door.

"Recalcitrant." He mumbled, watching her shake her head and turn, closing the door solidly behind her.

* * *

**7:15 PM**

Antonia stood at Katherine's door, her hand poised to ring the doorbell as she looked behind her at hearing footsteps. She smiled as her brother put his hand on her shoulder, and she looked to him curiously. "Hey."

"You're early." Parker said, lifting an eyebrow at his sister, she gave him a slight smirk.

"You know that I'm either on time or early everywhere. I get that from Mom." Antonia said. "Where are the boys?"

"Bones." He said, watching Antonia nod. "How's Aiden feeling?" Parker asked.

"Like a miserable infant." She shrugged. "Christopher is watching the kids." She said, watching Parker's nod as he reached past Antonia and rang the doorbell.

"Good luck to him." Parker said, smiling as the door opened.

Katherine smiled at her guests with a genuine smile. "Parker." She sighed, glancing to Antonia, she smiled. "Antonia, it is a pleasure to meet you." She said, holding her hand out to her, Antonia smiled and shook her hand. "Come in, come in." She said, nodding toward the inside, they walked inside. She led them into the house and to the dining room, smiling as they all sat down, she offered a drink and Antonia politely declined, as Parker accepted a cup of coffee, which she retrieved before she sat down. "I was a little surprised when Parker said you wanted to talk with me." She said, glancing to Parker.

"We had breakfast this morning, and he told me what happened with your husband, and I wanted to offer my condolences." Antonia said, unsure of exactly what Parker had told her. "He seemed extremely concerned for your well-being." She said, watching Katherine look to Parker with watery eyes. "Since he hasn't mentioned you by name..." She said pointedly toward her brother's sheepish expression. "I figured I'd stick my nose where it doesn't belong and force him into allowing me to meet you. He's far too protective of those he cares about. He gets that from our father." She said, giving Parker a playful shove. She could see that he was resisting shoving her back and gave her a raised eyebrow that told her just that.

"Parker has been a Godsend." She said, smiling across at Antonia.

"He's okay." She said, smiling slightly at Parker, who glared, making Katherine laugh. "How are you feeling?" She asked, trying not to sound coddling, she was genuinely concerned.

"I've been slowly feeling better." She sighed. "I still can't believe that Corey is gone." She sighed, looking up to Antonia. "I met your father yesterday. He brought a woman with him from the Jeffersonian?" She said, still unclear about how all of this was going to work.

Antonia glanced to Parker, who avoided eye contact. It was clear that he had withheld Temperance's identity from Katherine. She turned her attention back to the other woman. "Doctor Brennan." Antonia said, nodding.

"Yes, you're familiar with her?"

"She's my mother." Antonia said, glancing to Parker. "Parker's stepmother. She and my father are work partners." She said, deciding that it was best not to elaborate further into the entire complicated family tree. Katherine glanced to Parker with a confused look and he opened his mouth slightly to explain, when Antonia just steamrolled through. "He probably didn't even think to mention it." She shrugged. "They're usually always together when Dad is in the field. It's either my mother or Christopher, my mother's other work partner that work with Dad." She smiled, noticing that Katherine seemed to relax at that, though Antonia could feel Parker's anxiety from right beside her.

"They said that I would probably need to go in to talk to the FBI on Monday, that an Agent Fitzgerald would be speaking with me. I guess they're trying to figure out what happened to Corey." She sighed. "I just... I can't imagine who would want to hurt him." She sighed. "We were not on the best terms, marriage wise." She explained. "And I was pretty sure that he was going to leave me if I didn't leave him first." She said softly. She watched Antonia's eyes. "I... I didn't want you to think that I was stringing Parker along or something. I told him everything from the start." She nodded politely. "I thought he had left me, which is why I waited a day or two before reporting him missing. That was when his office called me." She shrugged. "I don't know why I'm boring you with all of this." She said with a sigh. "It's just still a shock."

"Well, it helps to talk about things, you know? It's all human nature." She smiled politely.

"Parker mentioned you're an anthropologist, so human nature is your thing, huh?" She asked, glancing to Parker when he made a noise, covering it with a cough, he was in direct line of sight for his sister's stink eye. Antonia quickly picked up that she had left off the 'forensic' aspect of her job and figured that simply 'anthropologist' was an easier sell then 'my sister picks at and interprets dead bodies for a living'.

"Well he also mentioned you're a botanist, and an..."

"Entomologist." She explained. "I also have a bachelor's in mineralogy." She said, looking to Parker.

"Over achiever." He coughed, watching the slow smile on his sister's face as she shook her head.

"I'm not ashamed of my achievements, at least I'm not a computer nerd." She said, listening to Katherine's laughter, Antonia smiled. "May I use your restroom?" She asked.

"Of course. It's down the hallway past the second bedroom, on your left." She said, as Antonia excused herself and mad her way down the hallway. Katherine turned to Parker, watching as he stared at his coffee for a moment. "I like her." She said with a smile, watching Parker look up at him. "She seems genuine, kind... like you. It must be your father's influence." She said.

"It's funny you should say that, because Toni is an exact replica of my stepmother, not my father." He said, shrugging. "I'm sorry I didn't mention who Doctor Brennan was. I didn't really think about it." He shrugged.

"It's fine." Katherine said, watching Parker for a moment.

"I didn't want to overwhelm you with information, you know? I figured I would bring it up another time, especially since Bones will probably want to invite you for a family dinner once everything calms down." He said, not even realizing that he had called Temperance by her nickname that time, he watched Katherine give him a curious expression. "What?"

"You call your stepmother Bones?" She asked.

"Oh." He laughed. "Yeah. My Dad gave her the nickname. She is a forensic anthropologist, she works with skeletal remains." He said, nodding.

"Which is why she was with your Dad yesterday... because they identified Corey." She nodded.

"Exactly." Parker said, looking up as Antonia stepped back into the room with a kind smile. She was just about to sit down when her phone rang in her pocket. "I'm sorry." She said, glancing at the caller ID, she gave it a strange look. "Excuse me." She said as she took a step away from the table and lifted the phone to her ear. "Booth." She said, her brow furrowing in confusion as she looked over at Parker and Katherine and smiled slightly. "Uh, No, that's fine." She said, staring at the floor as she listened. "No. Aiden can't... call Agent Booth, tell him to meet me there. Doctor Brennan won't be able to make it" She said, glancing to Parker. "I'm about a half hour away. I'll get ahold of Doctor Brennan to let her know what's going on and get a team out there. Thank you." She said, hanging up. She looked up at the two curious sets of eyes and gave a slight smile. "I'm sorry, I have to go." She said with a sigh. "They found a body at Rock Creek, and... you guys really don't want to hear about this." She said politely. "I have to call my babysitter, and Aiden..." She mumbled under her breath as she palmed her phone. "Katherine, it was very nice to meet you." She said, glancing to Parker. "I'll see you later, Parker." She said, giving him a pat on his shoulder as she quickly excused herself, and left the apartment, lifting her phone to her ear as she stepped out of the door.

Katherine looked to Parker with a curious glance, and noted his slightly sheepish smile. "What is it your sister does?" She asked, certainly ready to not let Parker get away with holding any information back this time.


	19. Inquisition

Antonia pulled the car up to the crime scene tape and climbed from her vehicle, noting the lights and vehicles of the FBI team that had assembled. She immediately spotted her father talking with someone in a blue Jeffersonian jumpsuit, and she smiled slightly as she jumped from the car. She walked around the back of the SUV, noticing her father look up at her and send her a wave as he headed in her direction. She pulled her field bag from the back of the truck, and slipped on her Jeffersonian jacket, preparing for the crime scene. She was just pulling her hair into a ponytail when her father stepped around to the back of the truck.

"Where is your mother?" Booth asked.

"She's watching the boys. I called her on my way over, she said that I could handle it. Ace is at my house watching my kids." She said, grabbing a pair of gloves from her pocket as she started to walk toward the scene with her father right beside her.

"So both you and your brother were out tonight?" Booth asked suspiciously.

"I guess. I don't keep tabs on Parker, Dad. We're not in the same social circles. He doesn't spend time at the lab, and I don't sit at a computer for fourteen hours a day transcribing code." Antonia rambled on.

"Where's Aiden?" He interrupted, just trying to get some answers to his questions without hearing a ten minute diatribe. He knew she was hiding something from him, and he was certain that she wasn't going to share.

"He's one of the kids that Ace is watching." She said, rolling her eyes. "He's still sick." She said approaching Charlie as she walked up toward the crime scene. "Mister Morris." She said, nodding as he gave her a smile.

"Doctor Booth." He nodded politely.

"Will you two cut it out with your overly polite crap and do your thing so that I can go home?" Booth grumbled.

"Must be time for Pops' medication." Antonia snickered as Charlie tried to keep himself from laughing, and the only thing she got from Booth was a glare, and a finger point toward the crime scene.

"The remains are over here, Doc." Charlie said, nodding over toward where the FBI techs were taking photographs of the scene, Antonia slipped on her latex gloves and crouched beside the remains. "Victim appears to be a female, between 30 and 35 years old." Charlie said, glancing to Antonia.

"Looks like blunt force trauma." She said, running her finger across the crack in the skull. It looks like it's a body dump though, not much insect activity." She said.

"Okay, so killed somewhere else, dumped here… any idea of how long she's been dead?" Booth asked, writing in his notebook.

"Looks like two to three weeks." Antonia said, doing a more cursory examination. "Though it looks like it was probably put here in the creek in the past day or two. Charles, I'm going to need a thorough sampling of all of the soil around the body. Also, water samples from the creek, and everything tied up with a pretty bow and sent to the lab." She said, watching Charlie nod as she stood up beside her father as he took notes in his notebook.

"So, what were you doing out and about tonight that you needed a babysitter?" Booth asked, glancing to her, he could see that she avoided eye contact.

"What were you helping Grace with?" She asked, deflecting the question.

"See, when you do that, I know you're hiding something." Booth said, putting the notebook in his pocket. "Where were you?"

"I don't really have to tell you, do I?" Antonia asked, narrowing her eyes as she watched Booth match her stare.

"Toni." Booth growled.

"Dad, it's a private matter, okay? Just something that I had to take care of. It's nothing illegal or dangerous, it's just private." She said, watching as he seemed to relax a bit. "Can you respect that?" She asked.

"You're okay, right?" Booth asked, tipping his head curiously.

"I'm fine." She said, giving her father a reassuring smile. "Stop worrying about me so much."

"I'll never stop worrying about you." He said, turning around. "You have a penchant for getting yourself into trouble." He muttered as he walked toward some of the other agents. She watched him walk away, and Charlie stepped up beside her.

"I take it you didn't tell your father what you were up to tonight." Charlie said, noting her glare, he shrugged. "How'd it go?" He asked.

"I didn't have a lot of time, but as far as I can tell, she seemed genuinely upset about her husband's death. I did a little looking around her bathroom, and everything seemed pretty clean. No weird pill bottles in the medicine cabinets, no rat poison under the sink or anything."

Charlie chuckled. "You're one of those people?"

"What the hell does that mean?" Antonia glared.

"One of those people who goes through someone's medicine cabinet." He said, watching her shake her head.

"Only when the person is accused of murder, Chuck. She seems like a nice woman." Antonia shrugged.

"I hope for your sake and you brother's sake, that she's innocent." Charlie said as he glanced over toward the techs.

"Me too, Charlie." She said, sighing as the two of them moved back toward the crime scene to help with samples and retrieval of the remains.

* * *

It was a little after 10pm when Antonia dragged into the house. She listened for any sound and heard just the low rumble of the television in the living room. She pulled her shoes off and set her bag by the door, and slowly stepped into the living room. She could hear coughing from upstairs, so she knew that Aiden was up in their bedroom, and when she looked around the living room, she instantly recognized two socked feet sticking out from the end of the couch.

She walked toward the feet, and smiled as she stepped around the couch. Ace was lying on his back, eyes closed as he slept. Lying across him wrapped in a blanket was Melody, snoring lightly against his chest. Antonia crouched by his head, taking a strand of Melody's hair, he tickled Ace's nose. She watched as it wiggled, and his dark eyes opened, clearly surprised to see her there, he let out a small gasp.

"Hey." He whispered, looking down at the little girl on his chest, he smiled and looked up at Antonia. "She wanted to wait up for you."

"And you let her?" Antonia asked.

"I knew she'd fall asleep… they always do." He said, running his fingers through the little girl's hair. "I remember another little girl that used to want to stay up and wait for her mama and daddy to come home. She always had a book in her hand though, that jabbed me right here." He said, pointing to his rib.

"Bet you have a permanent bruise there." She grinned. "Here…" Antonia said, rolling the little girl into her arms, her blue eyes flickered open for a second and then closed, but a smile rose on her lips when she realized who was holding her. "Did everyone else behave?" She asked, watching as Ace stood up and stretched, yawning.

"Yeah. Aiden has slept most of the time. He did eat some of the soup you made… so that's good. The baby was up a time or two, but has been sleeping most of the time that you've been gone. He's in your room in the bassinet."

"He's still not quite 100 percent." Antonia said. "Did Dad call you about the new case?"

"Yeah. He was wondering where the hell I was… I just told him you had a personal thing to attend to, and he grumbled something about being stonewalled and hung up." Ace yawned. "He's going to figure it out, you know. As soon as he goes home and tells Doc that I wasn't at the crime scene, she's going to know."

"Well, I just needed today. Aiden is going to be interviewing her Monday. I needed to meet her before he does." Antonia said, rocking the little girl in her arms gently. "She's getting so big, so fast." Antonia said, looking at the little girl.

"She'll always be your little girl, Ant. Don't you forget that." He said, kissing her forehead. "Just like you'll always be that little girl that invited me to tea parties and hurled yourself across the diner to get to me. " He chuckled. "I should get home. Do you want me to bring her upstairs and put her in her bed?"

"It's okay. I've got her." She said.

"I'll lock the door on my way out." He said, giving Antonia a gentle wave, Ace made his way to the door and stepped outside, locking it securely behind him as he said he would.

* * *

Antonia carried Melody toward the stairs and climbed them quickly while holding her securely in her arms. She walked down the hallway toward Melody's bedroom, glancing quickly in on Aiden.

"Tex?" Aiden mumbled.

"Hey, buddy." Antonia said. "I'm going to put Mel in bed, and check on the baby. How are you feeling?"

"Better." He coughed, letting out a groan. "A little better." He mumbled.

"Good. I'll be right back." She said, walking down the hallway to Melody's bedroom, she walked inside and carefully put the little girl into her bed. Once she was tucked in, Antonia kissed her gently and watched her sleep for a moment, before she made her way out of the room toward her bedroom.

She entered their bedroom and stepped toward the bassinet, the small light beside it giving the room a light glow that was bright enough for her to see the baby sleeping. She ran her finger across the baby's cheek. His little nose wiggled and she leaned down to kiss him gently, before stepping toward the bed. She carefully knelt on the mattress, and crawled to her side of the bed, resting her head on the pillow as her arm snaked around Aiden.

"There's my girl." He mumbled, letting out a pitiful cough.

"You're feeling a little cooler." She said, pushing her hand to his cheek gently. "I think your fever has broken."

"Good." He said. "Why are you home so late?"

"Remains at Rock Creek Park. Mom had the boys, so I had to go secure the scene with Dad." She whispered.

"Not related to our current case, right?" He mumbled.

"I can't make an accurate decision on that until after I look at the remains more thoroughly." She replied. "Though these remains were relatively fresh as opposed to over four years old, so it is probable that they are not related cases." She said softly. "Charlie is getting them to the lab, but I'm staying home with you and the kids tomorrow. Mom can look at the remains tomorrow." She said, running her hand across his forehead as she wiped the sweat dampened hair from his brow.

"You're going to stay home?" He asked, turning his head to see her watching him with a sad smile.

"Yeah. I owe you." She said softly. "I owe all three of you a little bit of my undivided attention." She said, kissing his cheek, he smiled when her arm tightened around him a little. "I love you."

"I love you, Tex" He whispered. "Close your eyes... get some sleep."

"That's right. It won't be long before the cuddle monster wakes and wants a midnight snack." She whispered, listening to his light chuckle, as she buried her face in his shoulder, and they lay peacefully until both of them drifted to sleep.


	20. Elephant In The Room

**Monday, July 15- 7:00am**

Antonia walked toward the Jeffersonian daycare with her daughter's hand clasped in hers. The baby was sleeping soundly in his carrier she was holding in her other hand. When they reached the door, she stopped, setting Max's seat to the floor as she crouched down to Melody.

Melody turned and looked into Antonia's eyes, confused about why she wanted to talk before getting to daycare, she suddenly remembered what had happened the last time she had been here, and gave Antonia an extremely serious look. "No hitting." She signed to Antonia, watching the smile rise on her mother's lips. "I promise."

"That's right." She signed to her. "If you have a problem with someone, you talk to an adult."

"Ace said to call him." Melody signed. "He said he would take care of it." Melody smiled, watching her mother laugh.

"No Ace." She signed. "He is only for emergencies." She replied, tapping her cheek for a kiss, Melody leaned forward and kissed Antonia's cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, Mama." She signed back, opting for a quick hug before Antonia stood up.

Antonia scooped up the baby seat and opened the door to the daycare, stepping into the small lobby. The woman at the front desk smiled at the little girl, and over to Antonia as she lifted the baby seat onto the counter.

"Doctor Booth." The woman smiled. "How is our little buddy feeling today?" She asked, looking toward the sleeping baby as Antonia smiled.

"He's feeling much better, thank you." She said, signing the two children in for the day. "I've spoken with Melody about the incident last Friday, and she has assured me that it will never happen again."

The door to the daycare room opened suddenly, and a dark haired little boy stepped out, standing on his tiptoes to see who had arrived. He saw Antonia and looked disappointed. "Adam, you're not supposed to be out here." The secretary said, watching the little boy sigh.

"I'm just waiting for Melody." He said, letting out a frustrated grunt.

Antonia looked up, surprised by what he had said. She was unsure if this was the little boy she had a problem with the week before, and he clearly couldn't see the little girl behind the counter. "And who are you?" Antonia asked, leaning on the counter a little, she watched the little boy's blue eyes sparkle with mischief as he smiled.

"I'm Adam." He smiled. "Are you dropping off a kid?" He asked, glancing to the secretary, he could tell that his time out there was limited.

"I am." She said, nodding at Max. She watched him glance over toward the baby and his eyes brightened.

"Hey, that's Max. I know Max. That means you're Melody's Mom!" He said excitedly, he hopped onto the seat next to the secretary and leaned over the counter a little.

Melody turned to see her friend, and Antonia watched as a smile lit her face. "Adam!" She signed, and let out a little squeak. "Mama, this is my friend Adam!" She signed quickly, grinning at the little boy.

"Looks like you did make a friend after all." Antonia signed and spoke.

"These two became fast friends after Adam straightened everyone out about what happened Friday between Michael and Melody." The secretary smiled.

Adam leaned a little more on the counter and smiled. "She really socked Michael, Mrs. Fitzgerald." He said, smiling down at Melody, who was standing on her tiptoes, her hands on the counter as she leaned up to see Adam.

"Well, there will be no more 'socking' as you call it, do you understand?" She said, looking between the two children.

"Yes, Ma'am." Adam grinned. "Come on, Melody. I saved us a spot at the tea party table!" He exclaimed as he scurried from his spot to the floor.

Melody looked up at Antonia for permission, and she nodded. "Go on, go play with your friend." She said, watching her daughter grin brightly as she moved quickly around the counter. Antonia watched as Adam turned and waved.

"Bye, Mrs. Fitzgerald. It was nice to meet you!" He said, as he took Melody's hand and the two of them entered the room together.

"Wow." Antonia said with a smile. "That little boy is quite the charmer."

"His father is Doctor Bradbury in curating. Single dad… Very charming." She grinned, watching Antonia laugh.

"Wow, Jen… you're blushing." Antonia giggled.

"Let me call up someone to get the little man." She said, rolling her eyes and laughing as she called into the daycare room. When she hung up the phone, she looked up at Antonia. "I noticed you didn't correct him when he called you 'Mrs. Fitzgerald'. " She teased.

"It'll happen eventually, Jen." She said with a sigh. "Sometimes life is just a little too busy to have a party."

"Sometimes you have to let someone else do the work so that you can have a party… and gifts. So many gifts."

"Now you sound like my sister." Antonia laughed as one of the women from the daycare came into the lobby to get the baby, so that Antonia could head down to the lab.

* * *

Antonia stepped into the lab and was immediately approached by Charlie, catching her right as she stepped through the glass doors. "Hey. What's going on?" She asked, walking past him, he rushed to keep up with her.

"He knows." Charlie said as he caught up to her, she gave him a strange look.

"Who knows what?" She asked, stopping as Charlie walked past her, and turned around to face her.

"He knows."

"Antonia Elyse Brennan-Booth" Booth said from across the lab.

Antonia's eyes widened. "He knows." She said to Charlie.

"He knows, and he's not happy with you, or me right now." Charlie replied. "Why did you have to tell me? Why couldn't you keep me in the dark? I love this job!" He whispered desperately.

"Oh stop, Mom won't fire you." Antonia said, looking toward her father's beckoning wave from Temperance's office. "Trust me, Mom won't fire you. Why did you tell them?"

"I didn't say anything. They just kept talking to one another until they figured it out… after your Dad stared at me for twenty minutes yesterday when I was looking over the new set of remains." Charlie sighed.

"Just go back to the platform. I'll deal with my father."

"But..."

"Chuckie... breathe." Antonia said, her hand on his shoulder as he glared at her.

"I hate when you call me that." He said, watching the slight smirk on her lips.

"Got you to think of something else, didn't it?" She grinned. "Go on, get to work before the interns get here and slow us down."

"Yes, Ma'am." Charlie smirked back at her when she glared. He turned and made his way back to the platform as Antonia shook her head and moved toward her mother's office. She watched as Booth walked back inside and sat down in the chair closest to the door. She immediately recognized his tactic and instead of sitting, walked into the office and stood by the open door.

"Why can't you mind your own business?" Booth started right out, watching as both Temperance and Antonia looked at him with the exact expression, exasperation.

"I don't know what that means." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're messing with Aiden's case. Meeting with the suspect alone? Antonia, you know better than that." Booth said angrily.

"First of all, I am at the lab. It's Doctor Booth." She said, lifting her eyebrow at her father, he was clearly not impressed. "Secondly, Parker was there."

"Yeah, well... maybe Parker's a suspect too." Booth snapped.

"Stop it. He didn't even know her when her husband went missing." Antonia argued. "This has nothing to do with the case. It has to do with the fact that I did something on my own and I didn't tell you. There is no reason for you to know absolutely everything that goes on in my life, Dad. I am more than capable of making my own decisions."

"Yes, but when your decisions interfere with a case, it becomes my business. And Ace... Ace was in on this too? What the hell did you say to him for him to agree to watch the kids while you go meddling in the case? I swear to God, you've brainwashed every damn person in your life to to do your bidding. You have Charlie out there keeping your secrets, you have Ace running to watch your kids. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were paying them all off!" Booth snapped as he stood up, noting his wife's glare. "What?" He said to Temperance, who simply shook her head and looked back at her computer screen.

"You will note that Ace is also not in charge of the decisions that I make." She said, standing straight, clearly showing her defiance. "I wanted to meet Parker's significant other. That's why I met her. I wanted to talk to her, and see if there was anything about her that struck me as suspicious or wrong." Antonia said, the battle of dark eyes was fierce. "If there was evidence to collect, I would have let you know." She said. "Don't you have an interrogation to get to anyway? Why are you here? To berate me? I have a fresh set of remains out there that need my attention. I came here to work, not be treated like crap by an FBI consultant."

"You work for the FBI, Doctor Booth!" Booth shouted, saying her name with dripping sarcasm.

"I work 'with' the FBI, Agent Booth." She said, taking a step toward her father, Temperance could literally feel the tension pouring off the two of them, but knew that getting in the middle of it would only add fuel to the fire. After another moment, there was a light knock on the door. Booth glanced toward the doorway to see Hodgins standing expectantly.

"What is it, Hodgins?" He snapped.

"I need Ant." He said, his tone was less amiable, and definitely held an edge of defense. "I have some particulates for her to look at."

"She'll be there in a minute." Booth growled.

Antonia heard the tone in Hodgins voice, and knew that it was her escape. Anytime there was a conflict with Antonia with Hodgins around, he was right there to bail her out. She turned and looked at him, and his eyes were asking if she was okay. She gave him a small nod and a slight smile. "I'll be right there, Doctor Hodgins." She said with a smile. He paused for a moment, glancing to Booth, and then to Temperance, who clearly knew what he was doing she nodded, and Hodgins turned and walked out of the office.

"You even have Hodgins wrapped around your little finger." Booth muttered.

"I am a valued member of this team." She snapped back. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about meeting with Parker and Katherine, but I knew that you would react like this. Parker is my brother, and I trust his judgement. Aiden will do what he has to do as the lead on the case, but Parker is my brother first, case second for me." She said, taking a step toward the door. "Have a good day, Dad." She said, turning sharply, she left the office and headed directly to Hodgins' office.

Booth stood for a moment, staring at her retreating form as she disappeared into the lab. He could feel Temperance's presence before he felt her hand on his shoulder, and turned to look into her eyes, saying nothing.

"Asian elephants, when they perceive that their young is in danger will perform what is called 'bunching'." She said, watching the look of confusion on his face, she continued. "It's when a group of adult elephants cluster or bunch together facing outwards toward the source of the threat, with the young elephant at the center. The adults exhibit aggressive postures such as standing tall, chin raising, tail raising... all in an attempt to protect the threatened calf." She said, straightening Booth's tie as he looked into her eyes.

"And you're saying Antonia's the baby elephant?" Booth asked.

"Yes."

"And Ace, and Charlie, and Hodgins are the adult elephants?"

"Yes. Along with Aiden, and Parker, and Myself." She said, watching Booth's brow furrow. "Trust me, you want to be part of that group, Booth. You want to be the one protecting her, not threatening her."

"And why is that?"

"Because the next move of those protective elephants is to charge... and the last thing you want coming at you is a herd of angry elephants." She said, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "Go take care of your interview with Aiden. He's going to need your help." She said softly. "I love you."

"I love you." He said, watching her for another second, before turning and excusing himself, walking briskly across the lab floor and made his way back toward the Hoover.


	21. Federal Bureau of Interrogation

**Monday, July 15th, 8:00am-**

Booth walked quickly into the bullpen, and directly toward Ace's office. He was about to enter it when he saw the agent out of the corner of his eye near the conference room talking to someone. "Ace?" Booth barked as he turned, he immediately recognized his son standing in the doorway to the conference room. "Parker." Booth said, stopping his march toward the office. "What are you doing here?" He asked, approaching the conference room, he then saw Katherine sitting in the room waiting patiently. She recognized Booth and waved toward him. He smiled politely and waved back. Parker didn't answer his father, noticing that he had seen the woman sitting in the room, he clearly knew why he was there. "Where's Fitz?" Booth asked.

"He had to run and grab a file. He'll be right back." Harding replied.

"He's just making us wait, sweat it out." Parker said, rolling his eyes. He was familiar with the tactics that the FBI used, but was mostly just annoyed with the time being wasted. "I know how you guys work."

"You shouldn't have dragged your sister into this." Booth said, watching his son's humored smirk rise on his lips.

"She dragged herself into this, Dad. I didn't ask her to. Though I appreciate her support."

"You call it support, I call it unmitigated stubbornness." Booth replied. He turned just as Aiden came around the corner, his nose buried in a file as he walked toward the room.

"See that? File." Harding said, watching Parker glare at him.

Aiden looked up at the other agents and Parker, and seemed slightly confused. "Are you ready?" He asked Parker, who nodded. He glanced between Booth and Ace and thought for a moment, knowing full well that Antonia might not be pleased with his decision. "Booth?" he nodded toward the room. He also noted the familiar stubbornness in Parker's eyes, as he turned and walked back into the room, followed by Aiden and Booth. Ace stood for a moment outside of the room, and then turned for his office to finish up some paperwork before the inevitable meeting with Aiden and Booth following their interview.

* * *

Parker moved around the table and sat beside Katherine, as Booth greeted her politely. "I'm Special Agent Aiden Fitzgerald." Aiden said, reaching across the table to shake Katherine's hand, she smiled politely across to him. He seemed a bit nervous, and was still feeling under the weather, as he sat down with the file in his hand. "Excuse my voice." He said, clearing his throat. "I'm still getting over a pretty bad cold." He smiled politely across toward Katherine.

He sat for a moment looking through the file in front of him, taking in the body language of both the woman, and Parker. Parker placed his hand on hers, and she gripped it tightly for a moment. "Katherine Becker, correct?" Aiden said, looking up with a slight smile, trying to remain as cordial and as polite as possible. The file before him were the findings from the Jeffersonian on the case as well as some other items of interest, and he had been looking over it all morning.

"Yes." She said softly.

"Mrs. Becker." He said, noting that Parker's jaw seemed to clench at slightly at the introduction of the fact that she was married, but Aiden simply plowed through. "I wanted to get a little background information on you and your husband's relationship as the investigation moves forward." He said, clearing his throat slightly. "I saw in the notes that you spoke with Agent Booth and Doctor Brennan on Friday regarding the case, and they informed you of where he had been found."

"Yes." She nodded, knowing that he had been found in a shallow grave in a cemetery.

"And you and your husband… what was your relationship like?" He asked, looking up at her. He was trying desperately to avoid the penetrating gaze of Parker, who until that very moment he hadn't realized how similar his eyes were to Antonia's. It was almost as if she was in that room with them, and it unnerved him slightly.

"When I married Corey, he was a wonderful husband. He was kind, and sweet, and attentive. We had been married for about three years when he started working for the law firm. After about… six months or so, he was coming home angry and agitated. I didn't know if it was because of stress, or his cases. He never really talked about it. Then he started staying late at the office often… he always had an excuse." She said, keeping eye contact with Aiden. To Aiden it didn't appear that her answer had been practiced. It was natural and free flowing.

"Was he abusive?" Aiden asked, looking down at some of the notes on the pages in front of him as he continued to write. He looked up and watched as she seemed to become anxious.

"Yes." She nodded, glancing to Parker. "Sometimes verbally." She nodded. "He'd get angry over the littlest thing." She said softly, watching Aiden for any indication of what he was thinking, though he gave her nothing.

"So mostly verbal altercations?" He asked.

"Yes." She said softly.

"Was there any particular reason that you waited two days before you reported him missing?" He asked, looking up at her again, he could see she seemed very anxious. "Remember, Mrs. Becker. This is just an interview, not an interrogation. We're just trying to get some insight and more information on your husband and where he may have gone, who he may have been with." Aiden said softly, noting that she seemed to physically relax at his reassurance. Parker also seemed to become a bit calmer at his statement, while Booth's demeanor seemed to become a bit more rigid.

"Well, he left for work that morning. We didn't talk that much, as we had an argument about something trivial and stupid, I'm sure. Corey had been… seeing someone in his office. I'm not sure if it was a secretary, or someone else. I didn't even care at that point." She sighed. "I just… I had gotten to a point in our relationship where it felt like I was more of a bother to him than someone he loved and trusted." She sighed, watching Aiden listen to her, his gaze was imploring and kind. "He… left for work, and didn't come home that evening. I assumed that he just stayed late, or was with someone else. The next day I went to work in the morning, and at some point in the afternoon, I got a phone call that he hadn't shown up to work, and that he had left halfway through the day before. I… called a few people, and nobody had seen him. We had separate bank accounts, and he didn't drive to work, so he didn't have his car." She sighed. "So I reported him missing. The police looked into it, but didn't find anything. I just assumed he just left me." She shrugged. "He was the one that always paid the rent and utilities, so I had to pick up for that, but it wasn't a big deal." She said softly.

"Had he ever done that before? Just left?"

"Once or twice, he'd say he needed to get away, take a weekend and stay somewhere else. He said work was stressing him out, but I am sure he was just with another woman. At the time I didn't even think about it. I trusted him most of the time. He had never left without saying he was leaving though." She sighed.

"And where you live now, is that where you lived with Mr. Becker?" Aiden asked, writing down a few notes.

"Yes." She said, nodding. "I like the neighborhood, it's close to my job." She said softly.

"But you weren't upset enough about your husband disappearing to leave?" Aiden said, feeling Parker's eyes on him now.

"No." She shook her head. "I just… I hoped that one day he would come back, you know? I thought that if he did leave me, and I stayed… he'd know where to find me when he came back." She whispered.

"The law firm that he worked for, do you have contacts for anyone there that we could speak with about your husband and his disappearance?"

"Sure. I can give you that information." She nodded. "Do you… do you know how he died? Did they figure out how he died?"

"Yes." Aiden nodded, taking a few more notes, he continued to look down at the paper in front of him

"Aiden." Parker said, his voice was deep and warning.

Aiden looked up at Parker, lifting an eyebrow at the other man, he glanced to Katherine. "Poisoning, Ma'am. Your husband was poisoned to death." He said, looking back at Parker with his own warning glare. "Details are still being worked out about the exact type of poisoning. After four years, it takes the techs a little longer to come up with cause of death with the details that we need." He said.

"That's bullshit." Parker snapped, watching Aiden's eyes lift to his, he could see the anger within them. "That's bullshit, and you know it. Bones was at Kate's house on Friday. Dad doesn't just drag her around for fun. There's more, and you're not saying it. So say it." Parker said angrily.

"Parker, its's okay." Kate said softly.

"No. No it's not okay. I'm tired of the word games, and the symantics. Just tell her what happened to her damned husband so we can find the actual murderer, okay?" Parker exclaimed, his voice raised and angry, though Aiden made no indication that he was affected by the shouting at all, even as Parker stood up.

"Parker, sit down." Booth said.

"No." Parker said angrily. "Her husband is dead, and all you can do is sit here and ask questions that you already know the answers to. Why aren't you out there looking for the person who actually did this instead of trying to get her to answer your stupid questions in some way that will end up with her behind bars?"

"Parker, please sit down." Booth said calmly, watching the way his son's face contorted in anger.

Parker shook his head and glared at his father. "Kate, you don't have to answer any more questions." Parker said softly. "You can get an attorney."

"You may need one." Aiden said, watching Parker's eyes catch his.

"I don't understand." Kate said softly.

"Well, you weren't entirely truthful about your husband's abuse." Aiden said, sliding over a file with several police reports of domestic complaints. "And if you weren't truthful about that, why should I trust anything that you've said?" Aiden said, keeping his eyes on Katherine, even as Parker stared angrily at him.

"I… I…" She said softly, watching Aiden's serious expression, his tall stature above her seemed extremely intimidating even as Parker stood beside her.

"You don't have a response?" Aiden asked, watching her carefully.

"This was all a long time ago." She said, glancing to the papers and back up to Aiden. "This wasn't who Corey was."

"Six incidences in the twelve months before he disappeared." Aiden replied. "That's what we call a pattern, and a motive, Mrs. Becker."

"I didn't kill Corey!" She exclaimed, tears springing to her eyes. "I didn't kill him!" She said as she started to sob, feeling Parker's arms wrap around her as he held her close, his eyes on Aiden as he the young agent stared him down. "I loved him." She sobbed into Parker.

"Are we done here?" Parker asked angrily.

"I think I'm done. Booth, did you have any questions?" Aiden asked, looking toward him.

"Nope. We're just going to need a few things." Booth shrugged, watching Parker's eyes on him now, as Katherine's sobs slowed, and he handed her a tissue. "Mrs. Becker. We're going to need the information on the firm that Corey worked for, as well as any names that you can provide us of women that he may have been involved in. If you have any financials from the hotel stays that you mentioned, that could also be very helpful."

Katherine sniffled and nodded her head. "Okay." She said softly. "I… I still have all of his files." She replied.

"Good." Booth said, giving Katherine a polite smile. "That's good." He watched as Parker continued to glare across the table at Aiden. "So, I think that's all we need." Booth said, watching Aiden look in his direction, he lifted his eyebrow.

Aiden then nodded, and smiled slightly as he stood up. "Yep." He smiled politely. "If we have any more questions, we will give you a call, Mrs. Becker." Aiden said, avoiding eye contact with Parker as he shook her hand. "I am very sorry for your loss." He said politely. He looked to Parker, his hand extended, and he shook his head slightly, turning away from the offered apology. He carefully helped Katherine up.

"Thank, you Agent Fitzgerald." She nodded. "Agent Booth." She whispered as she allowed Parker to walk with her out of the room.

Aiden sat down heavily in his chair when the door closed, sighing as he pulled the file back toward himself, and flipped through its contents. He was aware that Booth was sitting nearby watching him, and tried to avoid looking up at him for a minute as he took a few notes.

"Hey." Booth said, watching as Aiden looked up at him. "It went well."

"You think so?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah." He nodded. "But I don't think she did it. Doesn't mean she's not a suspect. I just think that if she was being abused like the file says… that she wouldn't kill the guy slowly. Something like physical abuse will typically come to blows more violently. She doesn't seem calculating or anything." Booth replied.

"Yeah, the physical abuse amounted to threats, and one was an actual injury. I'm sure she just lied because she would have had motive." Aiden shrugged. "After I get the information on the company, I'm going to take Ace with me to talk to some of his coworkers." He said, standing up to gather his papers. "Parker is pretty pissed at me."

"Don't worry about Parker." Booth replied. "You're doing your job. He knew that you were going to ask tough questions, otherwise he wouldn't have been here."

"It's not Parker that I'm particularly worried about." Aiden said, cringing as he looked toward Booth.

"Toni?" Booth asked, watching Aiden nod. "Yeah, that one… that one is a whole elephant stampede waiting to happen." Booth said, whistling as he walked toward the door.

"What?" Aiden asked, listening to Booth's chuckle as he left the conference room, leaving Aiden behind with a quizzical look on his face.


	22. Lunch Time

**12:00pm- Royal Diner**

Antonia was sitting quietly at her seat, focusing on the baby in her lap as she waited for her lunch, and her lunch partner. Max's green eyes were shining brightly at his mother as he giggled. "Where is that daddy of yours?" She said sweetly, giving him a little tickle that made him squeak with laughter. "Silly baby. I'm so glad you feel better." She said, though she noted that he still had a bit of snot in his nose. She bent down slightly to pull a wipe from the diaper bag, and when she sat up, she noticed someone pulling the chair out across from her. She immediately noticed the Metro uniform and smiled slightly. "Didn't expect to see you here today." She said, wiping the baby's nose, he made a scrunchy face and moved from her fingers with a little fuss. "Oh, don't look at me like that, booger boy." She said, kissing him on the nose.

"I've been known to show up here and there." Grace said, setting her officer hat on the corner of the table. "Why do you only have the snot monster? Where's my favorite niece?" She asked.

"Your favorite niece apparently has a boyfriend in daycare now, and has decided to have her lunch there today." Antonia rolled her eyes, though she was genuinely happy that Melody had made a friend.

"A boyfriend?" Grace laughed, glancing back toward the counter as the waitress came over to the table. She quickly ordered her lunch, and looked back to Antonia. "Last week she wouldn't even leave Max's side." She said, reaching for the baby from her sister.

"It sounds like this Adam kid that she met is quite the charmer." Antonia said, shrugging. She lifted Max over the table to her sister, and he immediately grabbed hold of Grace's hair. "I'm happy she's found a friend." She sighed, watching Grace try to disentangle the baby's chubby fist from her hair. "I was getting a little worried." Antonia sighed.

"You didn't play with anyone in daycare when you were her age." Grace replied, freeing the fistful of hair from the baby. "And look at how you turned out. You're totally normal, and you have absolutely no social hang-ups." She said playfully.

"Alright, hand over my kid." Antonia teased as Grace turned in her seat.

"Nope. He's all mine now. Aren't ya, buddy?" Grace said, bouncing the baby playfully as he giggled. "Are you going to tell me what's going on with Parker?" She asked, lifting an eyebrow at her older sister, she cuddled Max and buried her nose in his dark hair.

"No." She replied, looking up as a familiar form entered the diner. "I probably shouldn't talk about it." She said with a sigh, looking up at the tall man behind Grace.

"She can't discuss ongoing cases." Aiden said, stepping up to the table, he watched Antonia's eyes lighten, and slight smile appear on her lips.

"Seriously?" Grace asked, looking up at him, her eyebrow showing how skeptical she was about it. "You two talk about cases at the diner all the time."

"This one is obviously a little more sensitive." Antonia said softly, shrugging. She moved over to the seat next to the window, and Aiden sat beside her, dropping a kiss on her cheek.

"Did your father tell you anything about the case when he was at your place the other night?" Aiden asked.

"No. He won't talk about it either." Grace said, narrowing her eyes at the two of them. "He just kind of muttered this and that about Parker, and asked me if I knew his girlfriend. Come on, it's not like Parker is in the middle of a murder investigation or something." Grace laughed, watching the serious looks on both of their faces, her eyes widened. "What?" She asked, shocked. "Are you serious? Come on, tell me what's going on!"

"Do you think we should tell her?" Aiden asked.

Antonia glanced to Aiden, and then back to Grace. "I think it's better when she tries to guess things, it makes things way more interesting." She said, smiling slightly.

"It's kind of like twenty questions, and it really pisses her off." Aiden replied, glancing back to Grace, who was now glaring at them.

"Then she gets that pinchy look on her face when we talk about her as if she's not here." Antonia said, smiling slightly, she leaned over and got Max's attention. "Hey bubba… are you hungry, baby boy?" She said, ignoring her sister's glare as she watched Max smack the table with his hand, squeaking at his mother as she paid attention to him. "I think that's a yes!" She said, reaching across for Max, Grace scowled and lifted the baby across the table to Antonia, as she readied the bottle she had in the cooler bag with her.

"Where's my baby girl?" Aiden said, glancing over to Antonia, he gave the baby a tickle.

"She's spending time with her boyfriend." Grace said pointedly across the table, decidedly dropping the Parker questions.

"Adam?" Aiden asked, smiling slightly. He looked toward Antonia, and she gave him a confused glance.

"Yeah. You met him?" She asked.

"When I picked her up Friday, I met him. He seemed genuinely concerned about her." Aiden said, glancing to Grace. "She punched a kid in daycare last week." He rolled his eyes, but it was clear that he wanted to smile.

"Don't sound so proud!" Antonia said, giving him a light smack on his arm, she laughed.

"She defended herself. She's at a disadvantage." He said, watching Grace smile slightly at their interaction. "I don't like getting calls like that from daycare, but that other kid will think twice about picking on her in the future, I bet." Aiden said, thanking the waitress as she dropped off their lunch.

"You're talking to the biggest daycare bully that ever existed." Antonia said, nodding toward Grace.

"Hey, I was small. I needed to be tough." Grace said, shrugging her shoulders as she took a bite of her burger.

"There's sticking up for yourself tough, and there's threaten a kid that stole your favorite color crayon with an FBI arrest, tough." Antonia said, listening to Aiden laugh.

"You didn't." He chuckled.

"Maybe." Grace shrugged.

"Then there was the time that she told some kid that she could get away with murder." Antonia teased. "She managed to get that kid's lunch for three weeks before he finally told on her."

"Grace." Aiden laughed and shook his head.

"That one was JV, and he deserved it." She said, smiling as she continued to eat her lunch. "So, you guys really aren't going to tell me what's up with Parker, huh? You're going to make me go and ask Mom?"

"I already have Dad and Aiden in my face about being nosy, Grace." She said, glancing to Aiden out of the corner of her eye. "And the only reason that I know anything is because…"

"Because she inserted herself into the case without me knowing it." He said, a slight smirk in Antonia's direction as he spoke. "She waited until I was half dead with sickness, and then got involved behind my back." He said, feeling Antonia nudge him lightly.

"Are you sure she didn't get you sick just so she could get involved?" Grace asked, grabbing a fry from Aiden's plate, she smiled sweetly at his glare.

"You know, now that you mention it…" He said, he turned and looked at Antonia with a scrutinizing glare that made her laugh out loud.

"I didn't get you sick! Max got you sick." Antonia said, pulling the bottle from the baby's lips, she sat him up and patted his back a little as the baby looked right into his daddy's eyes, a slight lip curl of a smile rose on his lips that was reminiscent of his mother's smile.

Aiden narrowed his eyes at the baby, pretending to be thinking about his intentions. "You did get me sick you little snot factory… are you in on this with your Mama? Huh? Who do you love? Who do you love, Max?" He asked, moving closer to the baby, watching as Max's eyes glittered happily.

"Da!" He exclaimed, reaching his hand out toward Aiden, he grabbed hold of his nose tightly, giggling.

"Ah!" Aiden teased, tickling the baby as he lifted him into the air to hear him giggle. "Silly baby! Silly baby!" He said, kissing Max's nose when he lifted him down toward him.

"Be careful, Da. Or you're going to have his lunch all over your face." Antonia teased, giving Aiden a playful smile as she started on her lunch, glancing over to Grace, who let out a laugh.

"Was that a first word?" Grace asked, smiling across at Aiden as he played with the baby.

"Yes." Aiden replied at the same time that Antonia said "No."

"He calls everything 'Da'." Antonia said, rolling her eyes, she watched Aiden smile at her. "Max, what is this?" She asked, holding a french fry toward the baby.

"Da!" He exclaimed, grabbing the fry from her hand, he wiggled it around toward Antonia and giggled.

Grace shook her head at the two of them as she pulled a few bills from her pocket. "I should probably get back to work." She said, dropping the money on the table. "I'm glad we could catch up." Grace said, grabbing her hat from the table. She leaned down and gave Max a kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you later, Ace." She said, giving him a little poke on his nose. She then said goodbye to Antonia and Aiden and headed for the door.

"She's nosier than you." Aiden said, standing up to move to the other side of the table with Max.

"Yes. It's part of the bully charm." Antonia laughed, continuing to eat her lunch. She stared at her plate for a moment as she dipped a fry in the ketchup. She looked up at Aiden and he was watching her. "What?"

"Nothing." He shrugged. "I love you."

"I love you." She smiled, giving him a slight smirk. "I've decided to drop out of the Becker case." She said, looking back to her plate, she shoved the fry in her mouth and continued to eat while paying attention to her plate.

"Why?"

"Because you're right. I shouldn't get too involved. He's my brother." She shrugged. "We have the park case to deal with." She said, looking up at him.

"I like working with you, Tex. I just don't like when you take things into your own hands." Aiden replied. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll consult, but I'm letting Charlie have it. Besides, my part is done." She smiled slightly toward him. "How did the interview go?" She asked. She watched him squint at her slightly. "What?" She asked, a laugh on her lips.

"Nothing." he said, shaking his head. "Interview went fine, but Parker is pretty pissed at me."

"Well, you are threatening something that he cares about." She shrugged.

"I just don't want this to affect our relationship. I sometimes get the feeling he doesn't like me very much anyway." He shrugged.

"You're in a relationship with his sister. He doesn't have to like you." She smiled, watching him laugh.

"Yeah, you'd think he'd feel some sort of sympathy for me." Aiden teased, reaching for a fry on her plate.

"Mean! You are so mean." She said, moving her plate from him, he made a face at her and she slid it back toward him. "But you're not wrong." She grinned as he let out a laugh.


	23. Body Slam

**Monday, July 15- 3:00pm**

Charlie stood quietly on the platform, working diligently with the remains before him. There were one or two interns that were milling about, listening to what Temperance had to say about the remains, as she worked with them on the Corey Becker case. Charlie was standing nearly back to back with Antonia, who was looking over the newest set of remains on the table behind him. She was focusing on them diligently, as she prepared them to be cleaned, carefully scrutinizing each individual injury on the body as she had seen her mother do hundreds of times before.

"Has there been anything from Hodgins on the soils yet?" Charlie asked without looking at Antonia, he waited for five beats before he turned his head. "Doctor Booth?"

"No." She said slowly, as if she were scrutinizing one of the injuries closely, she swabbed it carefully. She turned and looked over Charlie's shoulder, moving very close to him without touching him. "Why are you worried about my case, Charles?" She whispered in his ear, making him jump a little. He heard her laugh and he turned to face her.

"I hate when you do that." He mumbled.

"I think it's cute when you jump." She smiled.

"Ant." Temperance's warning was short, but noted and Antonia could tell by the fact that she had used her childhood name that she was warning as her mother, and not her boss.

Antonia looked up at her mother and smiled slyly toward Charlie. "Sorry, Charlie." She said with a wink as she moved around his table, clearly captivated with the cleaned bones on the table, her brow furrowed for a moment.

"I was just curious." He said, watching her for a moment, she seemed entranced by the remains in front of him all of a sudden. "Do you want me to work with the interns and de-flesh the bones on the new victim, get the facial reconstruction started?" He asked, watching Antonia's eyes move over the remains of Corey Becker without answering. "You've already looked over these remains a hundred times, Doctor Booth." he said, trying to get her attention, he looked up at Temperance as she shook her head, nodding toward the bones. Antonia lifted up one of the ribs, and very carefully ran her finger over the bone, allowing her fingertips to run time and time again over the fragile bone. She picked up a second rib and did the same. She closed her eyes and felt it for a moment, very gently running her finger over the bone.

"There's a nick on this rib." She said, opening her eye to Charlie. "Get the magnifying glass." She said, still feeling the bone at her fingertips. "It's very faint."

"You're sure?" Charlie asked, watching the glare on Antonia's face. "Sorry." He said with a sheepish smile. "Of course you're sure." He rolled his eyes, watching her eyes narrow. "Carry on, Ma'am." He smirked. He brought the magnifier over to her, and everyone turned to the screen to see what had been magnified.

She carefully rolled the rib and put her gloved finger beside the small divot in the bone. "The nick here, it could indicate a weapon. Either a needle puncture, or the tip of a knife." She said, turning to the interns, who were watching in interest. "You will want to swab that area carefully and bring it to Doctor Hodgins or myself for particulate analysis." She said, explaining further the importance of finding this bone anomaly. She continued speaking, and noticed the sound of someone else ascending the platform. She finished her explanation and was about to hand the rib over to Charlie when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She knew from the weight of the hand, and the way that it squeezed her shoulder just a bit who it was, and she turned sharply. "Agent Fitzgerald, should I remind you of the last time that you surprised me with your hand on my shoulder while I wasn't expecting it?" Her smile betrayed her tone, and she watched his eyes widen.

"No, Ma'am." He said, smiling slyly as he covered his nose with his hand. "I thoroughly learned my lesson." He said, nodding his head. "Do you have a moment?"

"Sure." She smiled, her eyes sparkling at him as he nodded toward the stairs. She turned to Charlie, carefully handing over the rib. "To answer your earlier question, Charles…Yes. De-flesh the bones, and get the skull to Angela as soon as you can." She said, watching him nod. "After you swab that rib, of course." She smiled sweetly at him and turned, heading down the steps of the platform, snapping her latex gloves off in the process.

* * *

She and Aiden walked back toward Hodgins' office, and turned at one of the small offices, stepping inside, closing the door. "I thought you were staying out of the Becker case." He said. His tone wasn't accusatory, but it was a bit curious.

"I am." She said, taking his comment a bit on the offensive. "But when I turn around and see something that the other techs missed, you bet your cute little behind that I'm going to point it out to them." She said, lifting an eyebrow at him. "What did you need?"

"I just wanted to check in on the case." He said, watching her for a moment, she started pacing slightly.

"You mean you were checking in on me?" She asked, turning toward him, tipping her head.

"No." He said, narrowing his eyes. "I'm actually here to see Doctor Hodgins."

"Mmhm…" She nodded with faux suspicion, she stepped forward into him, staring directly into his eyes.

"Come on, Tex." He said, running his hand down her arm tenderly, she could feel a chill run through her from the look in his eyes. "You know that I trust you."

"Good." She said. "What did you need Hodgins for? He's been running particulates for the park case."

"He said he had some dirt from Becker's shoes that he was looking at." He said. "Possibly from where he was when he was murdered."

"Soil." She corrected, poking him lightly on his chest playfully. "We don't call it dirt, Agent Fitzgerald. It's soil."

"I'll be sure to write that down, Doctor Booth." He smiled. "I also wanted to tell you that you are very beautiful when you're Miss Smarty Pants Squint Doctor out there in front of everyone." He said, nodding toward the lab.

"Well thank you." She smiled slyly, letting a little blush rise in her cheeks. "You're pretty cute yourself when you play dress up in your dad's clothes." She grinned, watching his jaw drop as she tugged on his tie. "I like your gun too." She winked. "Very sexy."

"Doctor Booth." He shook his head. "I am appalled. This is a place of business. I may have to go to your supervisor about this harassment." He said, dropping a kiss on her lips after each sentence. "I should probably go talk to Hodgins."

"I see how it is… Kiss me, and then run off with the bug and slime guy." She smiled at his laugh. "I'll come with you. I was just on my way over there." She said, dropping another kiss on his lips. "I love you." She whispered, smoothing his tie.

"I love you." He said, nodding toward the door, they headed out of the room with Aiden carefully touching the small of her back, a gesture that she never thought she'd like, but had come to appreciate and expect from her partner. Her dark eyes sparkled at him, and he smiled, giving her a little shake of his head as he walked with her toward Hodgins' office.

* * *

Charlie was standing on the platform, most of the interns had scattered to deal with other forensic items. He was preparing to move the remains of the second victim to the tank for boiling. He glanced up to see one of the interns watching him carefully. "Is there something I can do for you, Ms. Davies?" He asked politely.

"What's the deal with Agent Fitzgerald?" She asked. "Are he and Doctor Booth married?"

"Uh, no." He said, watching the intern closely. "They're engaged."

"But not married."

"They have two children." He said, his voice a bit deeper, and more irritated. "They also live together."

"But they aren't married." She said, smiling slightly.

Charlie cleared his throat, glancing in the direction of where he last saw Aiden and Antonia, and looked back to the intern. "I'm going to say this, and I'm going to be extremely clear. If you so much as bat your eyelashes, clear your throat, or… I don't know… look at Agent Fitzgerald in a way that is less than professional, you will be dismissed from the Jeffersonian so quickly, you won't even know which end of your body to pull the foot out of that kicks you to the curb." He said, watching the intern's eyes open wide. "Look up." He said, pointing to the cameras. "The walls have eyes and ears, and if you don't think that every single move of yours is being watched, then you're extremely naïve, Ms. Davies. Are we clear?" He asked, his voice having gone extremely low, and extremely serious.

Ruth was nearly shaking, her face pale as she swallowed hard. "I'm… I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Don't apologize, just do your damn job, show these victims respect, and stop wondering whose pants you can get into." He snapped, turning around to continue his task. He could hear Ruth's footsteps as she quickly stepped down off the platform. His eyes flicked to just below the platform, where he found two very surprised blue eyes looking up at him. His jaw hung open slightly for a moment, suddenly feeling a rush of heat in his cheeks at her raised eyebrows. She had obviously heard his scolding, even if he tried to keep it quiet. He watched Temperance's slow, appreciative smile, as she lifted her fingers to her chin. She signed a quick 'thank you' to him, watching as he released a sigh of relief.

"You're welcome." He signed quickly, nodding with a slight smile, as he turned back to his task at hand, feeling extremely comfortable in his element.

He started the process of de-fleshing the bones, concentrating on what he was doing, when he heard someone heading up the steps of the platform and scanning their card. He turned and came face to face with Antonia, who looked happy and relaxed, obviously due to Aiden's visit. "What happened with Ms. Davies. I thought she was helping you with this."

"She had other things to attend to, I guess." He said, keeping his voice low.

"You alright, Chuck?"

"Yes." He said, giving her a happy smile. "So where is our favorite FBI agent? Flying off to save the world?"

"Sort of. He had to run. He has an interrogation to get to. He sent his love to you though." She winked, watching him laugh and shake his head. He started to lift the bones carefully to bring them to the vat for de-fleshing.

"You want some help with that?" She asked, watching him for a moment, she stepped forward and immediately started to assist, before he even had a chance to answer his question.

"Sure. Thanks, Antonia." Charlie said, watching the slightly odd look she gave him, he shrugged and she grinned.

"No problem, Charlie." She said, as they worked together quietly, silently paying their respects to their victim as they worked to find their identity.


	24. Like Clockwork

**Monday, July 15- 7:45pm-**

Antonia had just put Max to bed, rocking the bassinet lightly as his eyes struggled to stay open. "You know you're sleepy, bud." She whispered, watching his eyes widen for a second as her voice pulled his attention to his mother. She smiled tenderly at him and his eyes fluttered closed. She gently hummed a lullaby, one she remembered from so many years ago, a lullaby that Deuce would sing, that her mother would hum, a lullaby that she felt was important to pass along to her little boy. "That's it, little one." She whispered. "I love you, my sweet prince." She said, rocking him a few more times.

She watched him for a few more minutes, when she heard the door open and close downstairs, and the sound of Aiden coughing rang through the house. She took one more glance at Max and headed for the door, listening for Aiden's call, which came like clockwork.

"Tex!" He called through the house, sending a smile on her lips as she rounded the corner at the top of the stairs, she could see that he was smiling a bit. "Where's my girl?"

"In her room playing." She said, bounding down the stairs, she stopped on the last step and wrapped her arms around him, tucking them under his jacket.

"You're my girl too." He whispered into her gently.

She rested her forehead on his. "You missed dinner."

"Yeah, yeah." He said, kissing her lips tenderly. "Chicken fingers, or fish sticks?" He asked, watching her narrow her eyes. "You hate cooking when I'm not around."

"Chicken nuggets." She muttered, listening to his laugh as she buried her face in his neck as he lifted her from the step just to hear her squeak in surprise. "Let me down, you big oaf!" She said, feeling him tip her over his shoulder as he walked toward the couch with her body upside down.

"You are going to wake the baby!" He laughed, tipping her over onto the couch, she landed heavily on her back, and immediately he was hovering over her. "How was your afternoon, beautiful?"

"It was good." She said, smiling up at him, she stole a kiss, extending it to one that was a little longer and more passionate.

After a moment, there was the sound of two little feet running down the hallway upstairs, and then bounding down the steps. The little girl turned the corner and squeaked her surprise at Aiden's presence. He kissed Antonia one more time, and then stood up, just in time to get a hug from the little ball of energy, her arms squeezing his legs tightly.

"I see how it is. You've got a girl everywhere you go." Antonia said, watching Aiden lift the little girl into his arms.

"I've got all that I need right here." He said, kissing Melody's cheek. Antonia grabbed his hand, and he leaned toward the couch. She moved a bit, and he landed gently on the couch beside her with Melody on his lap. Antonia nestled into him and Melody immediately began to tell him about her day. "Wait, wait." He signed, with a smile on his face. "Slow down." He signed to the little girl, who let a giggle bubble to the surface. "Daddy can't keep up."

"My friend Adam and I played all day long." She signed to him.

"Adam?" He signed. "Aren't you a little young to have a boyfriend?" He signed back, watching her scowl slightly.

"He's not my boyfriend, Daddy." She signed back, shaking her head. "He's just my friend."

Antonia let out a slight laugh as she scolded her daddy for making such an assumption. "That's right, Aiden. She's a free thinking woman. She doesn't need a man to tell her what to do." She giggled, as Aiden reached over and tickled her, sending her into a wave of laughter.

"Daddy! Daddy, Listen!" Melody signed, trying to get him to pay attention to her. "Daddy!" She signed again, giving him a hard smack on his chest with her hand to get his attention, he opened his eyes wide as if in surprise, and her hand flew back to her chest, tears springing to her eyes immediately. "Sorry! Sorry!" She signed, covering her eyes.

"Hey." He said, pulling her hands from her eyes. "No worries." He signed back. "It's okay, baby." He said, poking her nose lightly. "I was teasing." At that, he received a well deserved scowl. "Tell me more about your day." He signed. "Please."

Melody looked between her parents, both smiling and watching her. All attention was on her, just as she liked it. She smiled and continued to tell them about her adventures with Adam, daycare, and how Antonia let her hold Max for his bottle that evening.

"So you helped feed Max tonight? Did he help feed you?" Aiden teased, watching Melody's eyes narrow at her father, and she shook her head with a smile. "Did you save any chicken nuggets for me?" He asked, watching the little girl shake her head and giggle, her blonde curls bobbing as she tried to dodge his tickle. "You didn't save me any?" He exclaimed, tickling her as she wiggled. "I'm so hungry!" He signed, tipping his head back.

She grasped his tie, and he looked down at her. "Mommy said you can have soup." She signed to him, watching his green eyes for a moment, he smiled and kissed her nose again.

"That sounds perfect." He replied, accepting another hug as she wiggled from his lap.

"I'm gonna go play in my room. Love you, Daddy. Bye, Mama." She signed quickly, and with that, she was already heading toward the stairs.

Aiden watched her disappear around the corner and let out a sigh. "Well, that was a short visit." He said, watching Antonia shrug.

"What can I say? She got her hugs and kisses, and was already fed. She had no more need for you." Antonia teased.

"You really know how to make a guy feel loved." He said, leaning his head on hers.

"I need you." She said, swallowing a bit hard. "I do." She said, shifting so she was straddling his lap, looking into his eyes.

"Look at you, practicing the 'I do'." He teased. "It's almost as if you really do want to marry me."

"Don't even start." She said, lifting an eyebrow. "You know that I want to get married. You know that I love you."

"Oh, I know that you love me. You're just easy to tease." He winked, dropping another kiss on her nose. She leaned forward and leaned her head against his shoulder, letting him hold her for a moment.

"How did the interrogation go?" She asked into his shoulder.

"Pretty well. Everyone who worked in Becker's office was shady." Aiden explained.

She sat up a little and looked into his eyes. "He was a lawyer. I believe that shadiness is an actual part of the bar exam." She smiled slyly.

"Even the administrative assistants and paralegals made my skin crawl." He said, shivering a little. "Ace came with me, we are both pretty sure that he was having a number of affairs. Based on interviews, he was sleeping with at least three women in that office. Based on the interview with Katherine, we're pretty sure she's not involved, though we'll keep her close just in case we have other questions. It seemed like this Becker guy had a different girl every week." Aiden said, shaking his head.

"Oh, a real player, huh?" She asked curiously, sliding from his lap, she started playing with her fingernails for a moment, focusing on them for a moment. She rested her feet in his lap as he massaged her feet gently.

"What?" He said, noticing her attitude seem to slip into a quiet thoughtful pattern. "What's wrong, Tex?"

"Nothing." She said, watching him for a moment. "You were never a player, right?" She asked.

"Me?" He asked, letting out a scoff. "No way." He said, shrugging. "I was always far too busy to be a player." He said. "I was never the sleeping around type. Drinking, yes. But not indiscriminate sex." He nodded. "Besides, I don't think my mother would have approved."

"Mama's boy." She said, watching his eyes, he smiled at her and shook his head, watching her brown eyes move up to meet his with a sly grin.

He could still see that there was something behind her expression, and knew that he'd have to push just a little harder to get at it. "What's wrong?" He asked. "You can talk to me." He said.

"Nothing." She shrugged. "It's really nothing." She said, giving him a slight smile.

"Okay." He said, leaning over, he dropped a kiss on her lips. He knew she was avoiding something. "I'm going to go heat up some soup." He said, pulling her feet from his lap. She climbed to the corner of the couch and watched him avoid eye contact with her, clearly unhappy with her avoidance. She let out a frustrated grunt and a slight whine. He knew she wanted to talk, but he also knew that sometimes all she needed was a little time to think before she'd open up about her thoughts. It was her process, and he respected it.

"Charlie scolded that intern." She blurted out, watching him stop and turn his attention to her.

"What intern?" He asked, watching the alarm in her face, she seemed surprised by her outburst.

"Miss Davies." Antonia sighed. "This afternoon on the platform. He wasn't going to tell me about it, but according to Charlie, I am extremely intimidating." She sighed.

"You can be a bit intense." He smiled at her, watching as the concern and confusion played across her face. "Why did he scold her?" He asked.

"She was talking about how she wanted to put the moves on you." She said, letting out a puff of a breath as if relieved to have it off her chest.

Aiden let out a laugh. "Put the moves on me? Who talks like that?" He asked, seeing immediately that it wasn't the right reaction. She scowled and shook her head, looking back to her fingers.

"Forget it." She said with an irritated pout, she lay down on her side and refused to look up at him. "Go make your soup." She said, closing her eyes.

He crouched down at her level, running a finger through her hair as he waited for her to look at him. "Hey." He said softly, touching her cheek. "Tex, look at me." He whispered, "Please?" After another moment or two, her dark eyes were looking into his. "She can try all of the 'moves' she wants, baby. You are the only woman that I want. Your moves are the only moves that I want. You are the smartest, most beautiful woman that I know." He said, watching tears in her eyes as she watched him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She whispered. "I just…" She closed her eyes tightly as she felt a slight wave of emotions. "That's what my dad always says about my mom." She said, a slight smile on her lips. "It means a lot."

"Well, I mean it… just like your dad means it when he talks about your mom. You are mine, and I am yours. We're a team. We're partners. I'm here for you, and you're here for me, right?" He whispered, kissing her forehead.

"Right." She said, smiling slightly. "You are a saint, keeping a broken person like me around." She let out a shuddering sigh.

"You're not broken, Antonia." He said in a serious tone, kissing her tenderly. "I love you."

"I love you." She said, swiping at the stray tear that found its way out. "I love you very much."

"Good." He said, "I'm going to go heat up my dinner."

"Okay." She sighed, smiling at him slightly. "Then we can cuddle a little."

"Absolutely." He said, kissing her one more time before he headed out into the kitchen.

Antonia closed her eyes, listening to Aiden in the kitchen when she felt her phone start to vibrate in her pocket. She rolled onto her back and looked at the picture of her father on the screen, smiling slightly. "Hey, Dad." She said as she answered the phone.

"Where's your brother?" He asked, his voice accusatory and angry.

"Parker?" She asked. "What do you mean?"

"He left." Booth said, his voice gruff and angry. "He left a message at the house. He said he was taking the boys on a camping trip."

She shook her head. "Then he's taking the boys on a camping trip." She said slowly. "Dad, what's wrong? It's summer vacation, he has time to take and the boys aren't in school. What's the problem?"

"Katherine Becker is gone too." Booth barked.


	25. Tracing Steps

Antonia sat up and glanced toward the kitchen. "What do you mean Katherine Becker is gone too, Dad? You think he left with the boys and took her too?" Antonia asked, sighing heavily.

"He won't answer his phone or texts. He turned it off so we can't even ping it." Booth replied.

"Then leave him alone." Antonia said seriously. "He's not a suspect, and Aiden said that Katherine wasn't even a suspect anymore." She said. "Just leave him alone, you're only going to make him more upset. You know that he shuts down when he gets mad."

"I want to know that he's safe, that the boys are safe." Booth said, trying to get that across to her.

Antonia looked up to see Aiden standing in the doorway of the kitchen. "Parker is not an idiot, Dad. He's not going to put the boys in danger." She said into the line. "I will explain." She signed to Aiden, who nodded and took a step back into the kitchen. "Just let him have tonight. I'm sure he'll call in the morning. Did he tell Rebecca anything? Did he talk to Ace, Mom?"

"Do you think you're the first person that I called?" He asked, chuckling a little at his daughter's assumption.

"Nice, Dad. Just leave him alone. Goodnight." Antonia said, rolling her eyes.

"Let me know if you hear anything from him. Goodnight, kid." He said, sighing heavily as he hung up the phone.

Antonia navigated her phone for a moment, looking over something as she heard the sound of Aiden shuffling into the room. She sat up as he sat beside her, setting his heated bowl of soup on the coffee table. "So, what happened with Parker?"

"He took off with the boys and Katherine. He left a message at the house, because he knew that they wouldn't get it for hours. He told Dad he was taking the boys on a camping trip." She rolled her eyes. "He won't answer Dad's phone calls, and so Dad is freaking out." She said without looking up from her phone.

"And what are you doing, trying to call him?" He asked, watching her eyes flick up to his.

"No, his phone is off." She said, smiling wickedly at him as she looked back at her phone. "However, the boys most likely have their tablets that I bought them for their birthday."

"You put tracking software on your nephew's tablets?" Aiden laughed.

She looked up at him and shrugged. "What? They were expensive tablets." She said, eyeing him playfully. "I want to make sure they don't ever lose them."

He shook his head and sighed. "I can't tell if you're resourceful like your father, or paranoid like Hodgins." He said, watching her smile at her phone.

"I'm a genius, like my mother." She said without a pause, she looked up at him and he nodded, giving her full credit for her statement. "See…" She said, setting her phone down by the bowl of soup. "They're heading north toward New York." She said, pointing at the map. "There's a camp up there that we used to stay at, that's probably where he's going."

"Well, she's not a suspect at this point, but it is good to know where she is, just in case we have questions." Aiden said, watching her for a moment. He could see that she seemed surprised by his answer.

"You're not concerned that she left the state?" She asked.

"No." He shrugged.

"Are you going to tell Dad?" She asked.

"Nope." He said, picking up the soup bowl, he sat back on the couch. "I am going to eat my soup and pretend this conversation never happened." He said, watching Antonia smile.

"Dad's going to kill you when he finds out, you know?" She said softly, leaning into him slightly as he sipped from his spoon.

"Finds out what?" Aiden said, shrugging, listening to her giggle as he ate his soup. "I am so angry that I don't know where Parker is." He said in a faux irritated growl.

"Wow, you sounded just like Dad." She said, watching his eyes widen as he looked over at her. "Kidding. You sounded nothing like him. Nothing like him at all." She giggled as he turned his attention back to his soup, and Antonia rested comfortably against him.

* * *

The car was driving at a good clip, and Parker concentrated on the road ahead. He looked into the back seat and could see that the two boys were staring at their tablets. "Guys?" He said, watching them look up at their father, he glanced to the woman in the seat beside him, and back to them. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah." They said together, exchanging a look.

"Good. There's a burger place just up here, and then we'll keep going." He said, watching them nod quietly and return to their tablets. He glanced to Katherine. "They're usually a little rowdier." He said, shrugging.

"It's okay." She said, glancing back at the two of them. "They're adorable." She said softly. "Are you sure it's alright that we're leaving town? I don't want it to seem like I am running away or something."

"It's fine." He said, shrugging. "It'll be better to just get out of the hair of the investigators. It'll be less stressful for you, and I have plenty of time off to take with the boys. Are you sure you're okay with this, though?" He asked. "This isn't too much, right? I mean, the cabin is pretty big, you'll have your own space to do whatever you like. I just thought that…"

"No." She shook her head. "No, this is good. This is fine. I'll get to know you and the boys better." She said, looking back at them as they seemingly ignored the adults. "I really do appreciate you getting me out of the city. This will be fun. It's only for a few days." She smiled.

"Okay." Parker said with a nod. "Just let me know if you need anything, or if you just want to head back. We'll get to the cabin late, but once we get settled, I'll call my step-mother and check on the case. I'll let her know where we are, and stuff like that. Maybe I won't tell them exactly where we are. I don't need my father showing up with the cavalry. Bones is easier to talk to, and has probably been dealing with Dad all evening anyway. I'll call my sister too. I'm sure Dad is already bothering her."

"Bones?" Nate said, looking up. "Are we going to see Bones?" He asked, a bit excited. "I think we passed Pops' house a while ago though." He said knowingly.

"No, buddy. I told you, we're going camping." Parker said. "We're going up to the cabin that Daddy used to go to with Pops and Bones when he was little."

"Oh." Nate said, scrunching his face. "I'd rather go see Bones."

"Me too." Luke said, setting his tablet down for a moment. "Or Auntie T." He sighed. "Auntie T is the best."

"Yes, yes. We all love Auntie T." Parker said with a laugh and a playful eyeroll. "Just relax, we're going to get dinner really soon, okay?"

"Okay." The boys said softly, returning to their tablets.

Parker glanced to Katherine again, and watched her eyes meet his. "This isn't crazy is it?" He asked, watching her tip her head a bit, glancing into his eyes as she shook her head.

"It's not crazy." She said, reaching her hand out to grasp his hand. "I mean it, Parker. This means a lot to me."

"Good." He nodded. "Because you mean a lot to me." He said, swallowing hard, he tried to push down the anxiety in his stomach as he continued to drive to their destination.

* * *

It was nearly 10:00 when the phone rang at the Booth residence, and while Booth was quick, Temperance was quicker. She lifted the phone and scowled at her husband's insistent hand as he reached for her to hand it to him. "Booth residence." She said, slapping at his hand with a scowl.

"Bones." Parker said through the line, a smile on his lips.

"Parker." She said with a slight smile, and then glared at her husband's insistent hand. "I trust that you've made it to your destination."

"Uh, yeah. Reception was a little spotty." He said with a nervous chuckle. "We're safe and sound. I just thought it would be easier to just take some time away from the city while the boys are off from school."

"And Katherine is with you as well?" She asked, trying to sound congenial as she scowled at her husband.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah." He said, unsure of what else to say about it. "We're just going to stay for a few days, and then we'll be heading back home. The stress of finding her husband has been rough on her, and I just want her to feel safe." He said softly. "I want her to get to know the boys a little, and just not have to worry about the FBI bloodhounds." He sighed.

"I understand. The FBI can be extremely nosy and bothersome." She said, watching Booth's eyes narrow at her, she smiled sweetly at him. "You're a very good man, Parker. Please take care of all of my boys." She said softly.

"Bones?" Booth said with a sigh.

"Your father wishes to speak to you." She said softly.

"I'll talk to him. It's okay." He said, letting out a nervous chuckle.

"Please tell Katherine that she is welcome to come to our family dinner on Friday evening if you return by then. Antonia's birthday celebration is that day, and you know how she believes the entire day is about her." Temperance said softly, listening to Parker laugh in agreement.

"I'll let her know." He said.

"Here is your father." She said softly. "I love you, Parker."

"Love you too, Bones." He said, waiting to hear the gruff sound of his father's voice.

"Parker?" Booth's voice boomed over the line.

"Hey, Dad." Parker said softly.

"Where the hell are you?" He asked.

"We are just camping, Dad. We have a nice cabin with running water and beds. We're out of the elements. You have nothing to worry about." Parker replied.

"You shouldn't have left when there's an investigation." He said, trying to keep control of his temper.

"I don't want to be harangued by you and Aiden. I want you to leave Katherine alone. If you need me, call me. Don't try to find me, don't send Ace to find me, just call me." Parker said seriously. "I'm serious, Dad. We're safe, we're fine, just let us be."

"I don't like this. I don't like it at all." Booth growled.

"Then find out who killed Katherine's husband, and we'll come home." He said.

"Don't play games with me, Parker."

"Goodnight, Dad." Parker replied, and the line clicked off.

Booth held the phone in his hand and scowled, glancing to Temperance, who had been watching the entire thing. "He didn't tell me where he is." He said, angrily. "He knows exactly how to get me angry."

"And there is no need for you to get angry." Temperance said, placing her hand on her husband's. "He's a grown man with children. He is your son, and he knows how to keep his family safe." She said, watching Booth's eyes connect with hers. "You have to trust him."

"What if he's making a mistake?" Booth asked, feeling the anger drain from him, as if just her touch could pull it from him. "What if it's a mistake?"

"Trust him, Booth. He just wants you to trust him." Temperance said, watching him calm, and nod his head. "He is exactly like his father. Put yourself in his position for a moment, what would you do in his situation?"

"I hate when you use logic on me." He mumbled, squeezing her hand in his own.

"You know that I'm correct, you just hate when I'm correct." She said, rubbing his back gently as she stood and leaned down to kiss his cheek. "Now that you know he's safe, it's time to go to sleep. The sooner we figure out the case, the sooner they'll be home." She said, giving his shoulder a squeeze.

Booth sighed heavily, but nodded in agreement, resigning to the fact that he had to put his trust in his son's instincts instead of going with his own.


	26. Knowing Better

**Tuesday, July 16th 8:30am-**

Aiden walked into the bullpen with his briefcase, his eyes focusing on the paperwork on his desk as he moved around to sit down. He was just about to sit down when he looked up to see Booth standing over his desk. "Sir." He said, watching as Booth's eyes narrowed just slightly.

"Cut the bullshit, Fitz." Booth said. His voice was surprisingly calm.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. What bullshit am I supposed to be cutting?" Aiden said, sitting back in his chair, he could see the other man's face seem to turn redder with irritation.

"Do you know where Parker is?" He asked.

"Why do I need to know where Parker is, Booth? You and I agreed yesterday that he is not a suspect, and Katherine is not a suspect." Aiden replied.

"Because he's my son, and he has his children with him. I know that you understand why I'm worried, Aiden. I don't want to control him. I just want to know that he's safe."

"Well I can honestly say that I don't know his exact location. Antonia knows, but I don't." Aiden replied.

"Antonia knows their exact location?" He asked, watching Aiden closely as the younger agent nodded. "Okay." He said, nodding his head.

"Are you going to go over to the lab and harass her until she tells you?" He asked.

"No." Booth shook his head. "No, I know better than that." He said, a slight smile on his face.

"You're going to have Doctor Brennan do it, aren't you?" Aiden asked, tipping back a bit in his chair, he stretched as Booth's eyes snapped to his.

"Absolutely. Toni won't tell me, but she tells her mother everything." Booth said, turning on his heel as he made his way toward Harding's office.

Aiden watched him walk away, and when he was out of earshot, he let out a low chuckle. "That's exactly what she said you'd say." He laughed, looking back at the papers on his desk as he started to work on his questioning for the next set of interrogations.

* * *

Antonia stood quietly in the bone room, the remains of their most recent victim were lying on the table, though the skull was currently with Angela and one of the interns to deal with facial reconstruction. She walked quietly around the table, observing each bone with precision, something she had seen her mother do hundreds of times. She could tell someone was lurking in the doorway, but kept quiet as she waited. She knew who it was, and simply continued her work. When the person stepped up to the table beside her, she finally took pause and looked up.

"You did a very good job out on the platform yesterday." Temperance said to her daughter, though she knew her daughter wasn't one for compliments, she felt that this one was very well earned. "I was extremely proud of you." She said softly.

"Thank you." Antonia said, turning her attention back to the remains.

"Hodgins is currently working on particulates from the stab wound." She said, watching Antonia look up at her mother for a moment. "Charles is working on the type of weapon."

"I'm not working on that case anymore." She said, noting that her mother was watching her curiously. "I told Aiden that I wasn't going to."

"I know that you're not actively working on the case, but I also know that you have been reading every single note that has been written on the case." Temperance said softly. "I know you care."

"Parker deserves to be happy." Antonia said, looking down at the remains before her. "And if Katherine makes him happy, then we have to do all that we can to make sure that they get that." She said, focusing on one of the bones before her. "He has been dealt a pretty crappy hand. His dad dies, comes back to life with a ready made family. His wife died. He was left to raise two little boys on his own. It's not fair."

"No, it isn't fair." Temperance said softly. "He is a good man with a good heart."

"He's just like Dad." Antonia replied, looking up at her mother. "I think Dad knows that Parker is doing exactly as he would have done. The only difference is, Parker has law enforcement everywhere he turns."

"Except for you." Temperance said.

"And you." Antonia said, honestly.

"Then you and I must be the logical and impartial entities in this, for his peace of mind." Temperance said, putting her hand to her daughter's shoulder.

"I really do like her, Mom. She seemed very kind, and Parker must have a great deal of respect for her if he has decided to take her with him, and away from all of this." Antonia said, watching her mother nod knowingly.

"Hopefully this will get all straightened out by this weekend." Temperance said, watching her daughter's dark eyes focus on hers. "You're aware of where he's gone?" Temperance asked, watching Antonia nod slightly.

"He's safe." She said.

"That's all that I need to know." She replied. "Your father wanted me to grill you on his whereabouts, but I believe it's unnecessary. He needs his peace." Temperance replied. She could see the happiness in her daughter's eyes, and Antonia nodded with a smile. Temperance then pulled her hand from her daughter's shoulder and sighed, glancing over at the remains. "Have you made any conclusions on weapons?" She asked, lifting an inquisitive eyebrow at Antonia's work.

"Based on the width of the head injury, I'm suggesting it was possibly a baseball bat. Right handed assailant." She said, glancing to where the skull had been. "No other trauma to the bones. I see no indication of stabbing or shooting. There was some damage near the hyoid, however."

"Strangulation." Temperance nodded, taking note of her daughter's finding. "Very good." She nodded. "As for the Becker case, I believe that Charles is currently surrounded by a mountain of sharp implements, if you wish to assist him."

"Oh, bothering Charlie and playing with knives. Two of my favorite lab activities." Antonia grinned. "Thank you, Mom." Antonia said with a slight smile.

"For letting you play with sharp implements?" Temperance asked, watching Antonia stop by the doorway as she turned.

"No. For being proud of me. It is all that I ever want. I love you." Antonia said sincerely as she turned and headed toward the back rooms.

* * *

Antonia was just about to enter the room when she felt her phone in her pocket buzz. She lifted it quickly and glanced around at the lab. "Booth." She said into the line. Listening to the pause on the other end.

"Antonia?" The slightly familiar voice rang out. "Antonia, this is Jen up at the daycare." She seemed panicked.

"What's going on, Jen?" Antonia asked, feeling a sharp pang of anxiety. "You're freaking me out. Are the kids okay?"

"Max is fine. Melody is gone."

"What do you mean she's gone?" Antonia asked, her pace already quickening toward the exit.

"There was a scuffle in the play room, and I had to step away from the counter. She knew the exit code. She's gone. She took off." Jen said anxiously.

"Did you call security?" She asked, rushing for the door.

"Yes." She said. "They're looking."

"I'm coming up."

"Do you need me to call Agent Fitzgerald?"

"No! Do not call Aiden. I can handle this!" She exclaimed, as she slammed her hand into the bar on the door and quickly rushed to the daycare.


	27. Little Girl Lost

A pair of pink shoes made their way down the long hallway toward what looked like offices. She saw the shadow of someone coming and quickly hopped into an empty room, waiting patiently for the person to pass. Once the hallway was clear again, she continued on her way toward the stairwell. She glanced down the hallway, and quickly entered the stairwell, moving her way downstairs. She entered the next floor down and immediately recognized the advertisements and displays on the wall as the floor that the museum was on. Since Antonia and Aiden had taken her in, she had been to the museum a number of times, amazed at the exhibits and colorful decorations, not to mention that she knew of the safety that the lab held. It was a place that should be scary to a little girl, but she found the steel walls offered a sense of solace, like a fortress. It was exactly the place she was trying to find.

Daycare had been boring, and Adam wasn't there today. She felt alone, and nervous around the other children. The daycare was rowdy and busy because it was summer, and with children she didn't know at every turn, it reminded her of the group home she had lived in. Without Adam, there was no communication or conversation, and it just made her feel completely alone. She wanted to go home. She wanted her mother, her grandmother, her daddy. She wanted to be around people who felt she mattered. She could feel a tear forming in the corner of her eye and a lump in her throat. She swiped at the tear and continued on her quest to find her family.

She walked toward an exit, knowing that she couldn't get into the museum from the inside. Not only did she not know the code for the various doors and locks, she also couldn't reach the code box if she wanted to. Carefully she pushed at the bar on the door, sending herself outside onto the sidewalk. She found herself in a small courtyard, decorated with flowers and plants, and not at all what she had expected to see when she stepped out of the building. She looked around at the unfamiliar place, and turned to grab the door handle to go back inside. Tugging on it, she found that it had locked behind her. The lump in her throat suddenly got a little harder, and tears sprang to her eyes. She turned around and faced the courtyard, seeing that there were other doors, she ran across the grass to the next door, finding it locked. She continued to panic as she ran from door to door.

* * *

Antonia skipped the elevator and climbed the stairs quickly. She rounded the corner to the daycare in full panic mode and saw Jen at the end of the hallway.

"Jen!" She called, seeing the other woman look toward Antonia.

"They haven't found her yet. They're looking at security tapes." She said as the frantic mother got to her.

"Are any of the other kids gone?" Antonia asked.

"No, just Melody. Adam wasn't here today. I don't know if she was trying to find him, or was upset about something else. She just… one second she was here, and then she was just gone." The other woman said, still panicked about the situation. "We don't think she was gone long, but when we did a quick count of the kids, she wasn't there. We looked everywhere inside, but the security log says she used your code to get out."

"She probably memorized it when I put it in. She pays attention to everything." Antonia sighed. "Elevators, stairs?" She asked.

"We have the security team looking for her. They've announced in the public areas that they're looking for a child. We've put a call out to all departments in the Jeffersonian letting them know that she is missing." Jen sighed. "Do you have any idea where she would go?"

"Probably the lab, but she can't get there on her own." Antonia said, lifting her phone up as it started to ring. "Booth."

"Antonia?" Temperance's voice was bordering on shrill. It was clear that she had been informed of her granddaughter's missing status, immediately recognizing the description.

"We can't find Mel. Can you please have Angela do facial recognition on the Angelatron on security in real time, and possibly for the past ten minutes?" Antonia asked, her voice full of strength. "I am going to see if I can figure out where she went." She didn't wait for her mother's answer and simply hung up the phone. "She wouldn't have taken the elevator." Antonia said, heading for the stairs.

"I'm sorry!" Jen called after Antonia, seeing only the door slamming behind her.

* * *

Melody was trying very hard not to panic, even though each door she approached was locked. She was breathing deeply trying to figure out what her next course of action would be when she realized that there was an alleyway that led to a gate at the street. She ran for the alleyway, her little shoes slapping against the cement of the sidewalk and reached the gate. She wiggled it and realized that it too was locked. She tried to remain calm, breathing deeply as she tried to keep control. She was starting to think that leaving daycare was a very, very bad idea.

* * *

Temperance nearly burst into Angela's office, sending the other woman's attention to her friend immediately, and making the intern jump as they worked on the facial reconstruction. "Bren, what's wrong?" She asked, noting the paleness of her friend's face, and the fear in her eyes.

"Melody. Melody is missing." She said immediately. "She got out of daycare. I don't know if she did it herself, or if someone signed her out, or…" She started to babble.

"Hey, hey… It's okay, we've got this. We've done this before, Bren. It's okay." Angela said, glancing to the intern. "My son and her daughter used to escape daycare about once a month." She said, with a cool eyeroll that made the intern look a little less terrified. "That's why they started having a doorknob code."

"Antonia needs you to…"

"Facial recognition, I got it." She said, pulling up a picture of Melody. "Little rascal." She said, glancing to Temperance, hoping that if she remained calm that her friend would do the same. Temperance however was focusing directly on the screen and nothing else. "Don't worry Bren. We've got this." She said, scanning the security footage. They were focused on the camera outside the daycare. "Bren, call Ant." She said.

"I'm just… she can't hear. She wouldn't know if someone came up behind her. She… she could just so easily be… she's so vulnerable." Temperance whimpered.

"Brennan, call Antonia." Angela said a bit more firmly.

Temperance pulled her phone out and dialed Antonia's number, as Angela continued to look at the screen. "Okay, there she is…" Angela said, watching the little girl peek out the door of the daycare and head directly for the stairs. "So, she was alone."

"Antonia?" Temperance said into the line. "I'm with Angela. She went for the stairs."

"Any chance you know if she went up or down?" Antonia asked.

"Down." Angela said, flicking to the next camera, which was the stairwell.

"Down." Temperance said, feeling just a bit calmer with Antonia on the phone.

"Two floors." Angela said, and Temperance repeated it. "Where are you going, you sneaky little thing?" Angela asked, following the little girl. They watched her sneak down the hallway and hide in a room when someone was walking down the hallway, they watched her approach the door. When she stepped out into the courtyard there was a moment where Angela grumbled.

"Antonia, she went out into the courtyard."

"There are no cameras out there." Angela said, and Brennan told Antonia. "There's also no way back in that way either if you don't have a key card, so she's pretty much trapped."

* * *

Melody was panicking now. She was lost, and now she was locked in a courtyard. She looked at the wrought iron fence gate noting that the bars were not too far apart. She glanced back down the alleyway, and turned to pull her body through the bars. She managed to squeeze her head through, though tight it wasn't a difficult fit. She had gained a bit of weight since her adoption, so it was a tight squeeze, but she managed to make it. She snagged her little beaded bracelet on the bar, sending beads skittering across the ground without even noticing. She straightened her clothes and then walked along the sidewalk. She made it to the busy street, watching as cars drove past. There weren't many other people on the sidewalk, and she was starting to feel a little better. She took a deep breath and started walking quickly, knowing that all she had to do was make it to the front of the museum, then she'd be able to ask for help to find her mother.

She made it a few more feet, and it dawned on her what she had done. She had gone from being alone in a safe place, to being alone on the street, surrounded by strangers. Her fear ramped up when she realized how upset Antonia would be that she disappeared, that she had run off without anyone knowing, so nobody would be looking for her. She could feel that lump returning to her throat, and the tears returning to her eyes, as she started to run as fast as she could around to the front of the museum.

She was running, but only as fast as a six year old could run, when suddenly she was lifted from the ground by two strong arms, wrapping around her. "No!" She screamed as loudly as she could as she immediately began to fight the person holding her.

* * *

Antonia made it to the courtyard and went outside, looking frantically for the little girl. She ran through the courtyard, tempted to call to Melody, but also knowing that she wouldn't hear her. She still had Temperance on the phone as she moved deftly around the trees, bushes and benches. She turned at the alley facing the street. She felt her heart clench as she marched down the sidewalk. Immediately she saw the scattered beads across the sidewalk. "No. No." She gasped as she ran to the gate. "Mom." She whimpered into the line. "She… she… I…"

Suddenly, Antonia heard a familiar ear-piercing scream coming from the street, and immediately Antonia switched into survival mode as she scanned her card at the gate and swung it open, running at full speed toward the sound of her little girl's scream.


	28. Anger, Panic, Peace

Temperance stood nervously in Angela's office, pacing slightly as she waited for Antonia to call her back. She was resisting the urge to call Antonia's phone. She was resisting the urge to search for the little girl herself. Suddenly, the lab was filled with the hysterical crying of a child, and the stern, stomping feet of an adult.

Temperance stepped out of Angela's office to see her daughter stomping across the lab, her hand securely tightened around the hand of Melody as the little girl sobbed uncontrollably. "Antonia?" Temperance said, poising to take the little girl from her. Melody reached for Temperance for comfort, but was immediately pulled away by her mother.

"No." Antonia said sternly. "No, don't touch her. She's fine. She's coming with me." She said, giving Melody's hand another tug. Being pulled away from her grandmother caused another wave of sobbing that seemed to nearly rattle the walls of the lab. She stepped into the room where Charlie was working, the tables covered in knives and sharp implements. Charlie looked up and said nothing. As soon as they stepped into the room and Melody saw the contents of the room, she sucked in a deep breath and stopped crying, her eyes wide in fear. Antonia turned to her and crouched down to Melody's level. "You will sit in that chair, you will speak to nobody, you will look at nobody, and you will stay quiet." She signed, pointing to the chair in the corner. Her face was stern and angry, her eyes dark. Melody gasped a bit, still trying to catch her breath. "Do you understand?"

Melody nodded quickly, sniffling as she ran for the chair, she clamored up onto the seat and sat with her hands folded, refusing to look up.

Antonia took a slow, deep breath, looked up at Charlie and gave him a sweet, fake smile. "Okay. Give me something sharp to hold in my hands please." She said, watching Charlie's eyes narrow slightly.

"Are you going to tell me what just happened?" Charlie asked, watching Antonia look up at him sharply. "Uh, sure. You can cool off a bit before you tell me. That's cool." He said, watching her shake her head at him and smile slightly. Her glare returned when she looked over at the little girl who was staring at her hands, and then resumed looking over the different weapons.

"Can I see the cast of the injury?" She asked. "And put the injury up on the screen, please?" She asked, looking over the various knives. She lifted a knife or two up and looked at the points, carefully analyzing the angle and sharpness. She was just turning the knife when the door opened and Temperance came inside. "Doctor Brennan." Antonia said without looking toward her mother. She set the knives in her hands back to the table.

"What do you think you're doing, Antonia?" She asked, starting to walk toward Melody, she was immediately blocked by Antonia, holding her hands up to stop her.

"I'm attempting to do my work." She said, eyeing her mother as she tried to look around Antonia.

"Melody shouldn't be in here." Temperance said, offended that her daughter was blocking her from the little girl. "She shouldn't be in the lab. Let her come with me. I can take her to my office."

"No." Antonia said, shaking her head. "She's not going with you. She's not going to be coddled and told not to be upset. She knows what she did was wrong, so she can sit there and feel guilty knowing that I am angry with her until I'm calmed down enough to talk to her." Antonia said, crossing her arms over her chest. "She's safe, and she understands that she is being punished. She can sit in that chair and not be out of my sight for the rest of the day." She said, her eyes showing that Booth stubbornness that only ignited anger in Temperance.

"Antonia." She said sternly. "Children are not supposed to be in the lab." She said, hoping that using the rules against her daughter, that she'd give in. "Let her come with me to my office. She can stay there with me."

"So that's how we're going to play it, huh? You're going to throw the rules in my face?" Antonia growled. "Fine. I have to go home." She said, stepping toward Melody, she reached for the little girl's hand. Melody took her hand and continued looking to the floor. "Family emergency." She snapped as she turned toward the door and tugged the little girl with her. Melody went with her willingly and Antonia swung the door open to the room, marching across the floor with Melody attached to her hand.

"Antonia!" Temperance exclaimed. "Antonia, please! Please come back." She said, watching as Antonia ignored her completely and stomped out of the lab, the little girl's legs moving quickly as she tried to keep up with her mother.

* * *

Antonia tugged at Melody and lifted her into her arms, and opted for the stairs, making her way toward the daycare to pick up Max. She was just about to reach the landing of the correct floor and she suddenly felt a wave of panic taking over her. She had a flash in her mind of looking for the little girl, Melody's scream, the struggle with the security guard that had grabbed her on the sidewalk. She suddenly felt cascade of the sheer panic of everything as her adrenaline dropped off. The panic at the moment had only been followed by a wave of anger, and now that she was alone with Melody, the anger dropped off quickly into crushing despair. She stumbled slightly, and leaned her back against the wall, pulling her phone from her pocket. She scrolled through her contacts, seeing Ace's name at the top. He was always her first call, always the one to save her. Always.

She tried to control her breathing, and skipped Ace's name, clicking on the name just below his. When the person on the line answered, she was nearly unable to speak a word. "Help." She managed to whisper. "Aiden." She said. "I need you." She could feel Melody's arms tighten around her neck. The little girl could feel Antonia's panic, and was starting to panic herself.

"Tex, what's wrong?" He asked immediately. "Talk to me. Where are you?" He said. There was almost a hollow sound in the background, and it was clear that he was driving.

"Stairs. Stairs…" She gasped, feeling the tears start to fall as she tipped back against the wall. "I… I can't breathe. I can't... calm down."

"Breathe… breathe baby. It's okay. Close your eyes…" he whispered. "Are you alone?" He asked.

"No." She whimpered, closing her eyes.

"You're at the lab?"

"Yes. No. Stairs, Aiden." She whined, feeling Melody's arms hold her even tighter, and her breathing was becoming labored. "I have Melody. Please. Please hurry." She whimpered as she tried to pull Melody's arms from her neck, the panic was becoming worse, and Melody held her tighter.

"You have Melody?" He asked.

"Yes." She whimpered, her voice becoming softer. "I… I can't…"

"I'm almost there. I'm in the parking garage." He said. "Stay on the line with me… are you there? Are you with me, Tex?"

"Yes." She whispered.

"I love you." He said. She could hear him rushing, hear the door to the car slam closed. It took just another moment and she could hear the sound of his feet slamming into the metal stairs on his way to her.

"I love you." She whimpered, and hung up the phone, setting it beside her.

When Aiden made it to her, she was crouched against the wall, Melody holding her tightly. He touched the little girl's back, and her grip loosened. When she saw her Daddy, she squeaked and jumped at him, holding him tightly around his neck.

"Thank God." Antonia whispered, taking deep breaths now that the little girl was no longer connected to her.

"Are you okay?" Aiden asked, touching Antonia's face. "Look me in the eyes." He said, watching her eyes lift to his, he could see her intense gaze. "What happened? Why do you have Melody? What's going on?" He asked, smoothing her hair back.

"I…I…" She gasped. "I…"

"It's okay. Take a second. I'm right here. Take a second." He whispered.

She closed her eyes for a moment, taking pause as she tried to find her words. "Melody." She said softly. "She ran off. She took off from daycare."

"She what?" He asked, a bit of panic in his voice, he pulled Melody's arms from his and she stood up in front of them. "You ran away from daycare?" He signed to her, speaking at the same time.

Melody's lip trembled, seeing the disappointment in Aiden's face. She nodded and closed her eyes, cringing a bit as if she were waiting for him to slap her. He reached forward and poked her nose and her eyes popped open. "Why did you run away?" He asked.

"I missed Mommy." She signed with a pleading look on her face, glancing to Antonia as her mother held her head in her hands, she swallowed hard. "I missed her."

"You missed Mommy?" He asked, watching Antonia's head lift to look across at the little girl as she nodded honestly, her eyes on her daddy. "I love Mommy." She signed. "I didn't mean to scare her. I love her."

"Mommy loves you." Aiden signed. "Mommy also needs to know that you are safe at all times, and you scared her a lot." He said, watching Melody glance at Antonia and then back to Aiden. He reached for her and pulled her against him and hugged her. He turned his head to Antonia, who had calmed down considerably. "Tell me what happened." He said, holding Melody against him. "She ran off…"

Antonia sighed, nodding as she closed her eyes for a moment. "I was looking for her."

* * *

_Antonia was quicker than even she had expected at the sound of her daughter's scream, or at least a child's scream that she was sure was Melody's. She ran around the corner to find a museum security guard trying to restrain the wrestling child. She was on the ground screaming and kicking up at him as he tried to help her up, continually reaching for her as she gnashed her teeth and screamed at him, kicking her feet hard at him._

_"Stop!" Antonia exclaimed. "Stop, she's deaf! She doesn't understand what you're doing!" She exclaimed. "Please stop!" She said, as the security guard looked up. "I work at the Jeffersonian, I'm her mother!" She exclaimed, watching the man take a step back._

_"Ma'am, this little girl is…" The security guard stopped speaking when the little girl saw Antonia and leapt to her feet._

_"Mama!" She screeched, wrapping her arms around Antonia as she lifted her, and the guard stood by for a moment. She immediately started to cry into Antonia's shoulder. _

_Antonia attempted to catch her breath, her fingers running through the little girl's hand. "I'm sorry." Antonia said, though she wasn't sure if she was apologizing to the guard or the little girl. "I'm Doctor Antonia Brennan-Booth. My ID is in my pocket." She said, reaching down to pull the ID from the pocket of her lab coat, he took it from her. "The daycare told me that she got out." She said, finally catching her breath. "Thank you." She said sincerely. "Thank you for your help." She said, unable to think of what else to say. "I was scared to death." She whispered.  
_

_"Is she okay now?" He asked, watching the little girl pop her thumb into her mouth and look at the man apologetically. "I'll walk you inside." He said, with a nod. He lifted his radio to announce that the girl had been found, and handed Antonia her ID. She nodded, and he walked with her toward the building. _

_Once the security guard walked them into the building, he confirmed Antonia's identity, as well as informed the daycare that she had been found and that Antonia would be taking her with her, Antonia peeled Melody's hands from around her and carefully placed her to the floor. The little girl looked up at her mother and waved her arms in the air, begging for her to pick her back up._

_"No." She shook her head. "Mommy is very, very angry with you!" She signed sharply, watching as Melody's jaw dropped. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen Antonia so angry toward her._

_"Mama." She whimpered, signing to her as her lip quivered._

_"No crying. You were very naughty! You scared me! You made mommy so scared!" She signed angrily. "I thought I lost you forever!" She signed. _

_"No!" Antonia sobbed. "Mama!" she signed. "Hug! Hug, Mama!" She signed, hopping on her toes._

_"No hugs. Mommy is too upset for hugs right now! I love you very much and I thought something bad happened to you!" Antonia signed. "Mommy has to go back to work, and you are not leaving my sight!" She exclaimed as she grasped Melody's hand tightly, and tugged her along toward the elevator and the lab as the little girl instantly began to wail._

* * *

Aiden listened to her tell him everything from finding her to what had brought her to the stairs. "You yelled at your mother?" Aiden asked. "You never yell at your mother."

"She usually doesn't leave herself open for yelling." Antonia sighed. "She can usually shut me down, but… I was just so upset. I didn't want her help. I didn't want her opinions. I just… I needed to get out of there." She whispered. "Thank you for coming for me." She whispered.

"Thank you for calling me." He said, wrapping his arm around her, she leaned into him. "I like being the hero."

"You're a very good hero." She said with a sigh, as her phone suddenly started to ring. "I'll give you a kiss if you can guess who that is." She said, picking up the phone.

"Just kiss me." He said, winking at her. She smiled and kissed him tenderly, sighing as she watched his green eyes.

Antonia stared at the phone in her hand. "I told her I was going home." She sighed. "I should just go home."

"Go home then. I think that you and a certain little girl need to have a talk." He said softly. "Do you want me to get Max later?" He asked, watching her shake her head.

"I can get him." She said softly. "What are you doing here anyway?" She asked.

"I was coming by to see you, check on Charlie's work. I was mostly just coming by to see you, though." He smiled. "But now I'm a little nervous about going up there if your mom is mad at you." He sighed.

"She's not mad. She's concerned." She said with a sigh. "Just tell her that you talked to me, and that I'm taking the kids home. Tell her that I'll call later."

"Sure thing." He said, leaning for another kiss. He then carefully peeled the little girl's arms from him, and stood her up straight in front of him. "Alright, Little one." He signed. He could see the guilt in her eyes. "No more running off. Daddy has to go back to work."

"No!" She signed. "Please!"

Aiden carefully stood up, reaching his hand for Antonia, she stood up too. "Mommy is going to take you and Max home. Make sure you talk to her and tell her why you ran off today." He said, watching her nod. "No more running off."

"Mommy was scared." She signed, glancing to Antonia. "I'm sorry, Mama." She signed. "I'm sorry."

"I know, baby." Antonia signed back to her. "I just love you more than anything."

"More than daddy?" She signed, her eyes wide as she looked at Aiden, who was smirking over at Antonia.

"Sometimes… like when he eats my cookies and doesn't tell me." She signed back and winked, listening to the little girl's giggle when Aiden's jaw dropped. "Daddy is an indiscriminate snacking bear." She signed with a wink, listening to the little girl's giggle.

"Alright, I think I've taken enough abuse from you two." Aiden teased. "Thelma, Louise… I'll see you guys after work." He said, kissing Antonia again.

"I'll see you soon. Thank you for coming to my rescue." She replied.

"Always." He said softly, as he signed his love to Melody, and then took the stairs up toward the lab.

Antonia listened to the door close upstairs, and then looked down at the little girl as she focused on her mother. She could see the stern look on her face and her smile instantly faded. She swallowed hard.

"Are you hungry for lunch?" Antonia signed, her eyes narrowing at Melody as the little girl simply nodded. "I am too." She sighed. "Let's go get Max, and we can talk, okay?" She said, winking at Melody. She reached for her hand. Melody took her hand for a moment and then paused, looking up at her mother, she tugged it a little, letting it go when Antonia stopped.

"I love you, Mama." Melody signed.

"I love you, forever and ever." Antonia said, crouching down. "When I'm happy, when I'm sad, when I'm angry. I love you always." She signed, reaching for her. She picked her up and Melody cuddled into her. She sighed and walked with her through the door and down the hallway toward the daycare.


	29. New Adventures

Antonia made it to the daycare with Melody, and her mind was reeling with what she had done to her mother. She didn't know what had come over her in that moment, and she suddenly felt incredibly guilty for storming out of the lab. Just an hour before Temperance had told her how proud of her she was, and then she walked out on her, walked out on her job, walked out on everything just because she wanted to be in control.

She suddenly felt a sharp tug on her hand and realized she was stopped in front of the door to the daycare and Melody was trying to get her attention. "Are you okay, Mama?" She signed. "You look sad."

"I feel bad for yelling at Nana." She signed back to Melody, watching the little girl's dark blue eyes focus on her.

"You were angry." Melody signed back.

"I was angry. But that is not an excuse to be rude, especially to Nana." She sighed, looking at the door, and back to Melody.

"I have an idea, Mama." She signed back, smiling up at her.

"And what is your idea?" Antonia asked, moving down to the little girl's level, she watched her concentrate, waiting patiently until she had her mother's full attention.

"You should go back to work and tell Nana that you are sorry." She signed. "You should go back to work, and I should go back to daycare."

"You think that's a good idea?" She asked, signing as she spoke.

"Yes." Melody nodded. "I felt lonely, but I shouldn't have left daycare. I'm sorry."

"And you think that by going to daycare, your punishment will be less strict?" She signed, watching as Melody's hopeful eyes smiled back at her with a slight tip of her head. "You're pretty manipulative." She said, signing to the little girl.

"Nana says that I am strong willed." She signed back, grinning, standing tall.

"Nana is being polite." She replied, touching the girl's cheek as she shook her head and smiled. "I will leave you here in daycare, but you must stay here. Do you understand? There will be no sneaking out or running off. None of that ever again, are we clear?" She asked. "If you feel lonely, then draw me a picture." Antonia signed. "You know that I love pictures. I need to know that you are safe, Melody." She signed. "When you are here at daycare, or when you are at school, I need to know that you are there, that you are safe. You, and your brother, and your daddy are my heart, and my life." She signed. "My heart would break if anything were to happen to you." She signed, watching the little girl's lip tremble slightly. "No crying." She said, shaking her head.

Melody let out a little whimper, but stayed strong. "I love you, mama." She signed, taking a deep breath. "I am sorry."

"I love you, baby girl." She said, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "Okay... daycare, take two." She winked and stood up. She stepped into the daycare and Jen looked up from her desk, a smile of relief on her face as soon as she saw the little girl.

"There you are." She smiled, and looked up at Antonia. "I'm seriously sorry about what happened. I just... We've already changed your code for the door, and I'm just so happy she was okay." She rambled on.

"She was trying to find me." She said, rolling her eyes. "Melody." She signed to the little girl. "Do you have something you'd like to say?" She asked, watching the little girl nod.

"I'm sorry that I ran off." She signed sincerely.

"You are sorry, and you promise that you won't run off again, correct?" Antonia asked her both aloud and in sign, watching the little girl nod solemnly.

"I promise." She signed, nodding.

"Is she okay to return?" Antonia asked, sighing slightly. "I'm really sorry that she's been a handful lately." She said, watching Jen smile and nod.

"Of course she's welcome to return." Jen said with a smile. "Your mother always tells us that she's strong willed just like you. She's even shared some of the stories about you and your sister when she comes down here to see the kids."

"Remind me to restrict her access to daycare." Antonia teased with a wink. She looked over at Melody. "Why don't we go in and check on Max together before mommy goes back to work." She said, watching her daughter nod, she took her hand and the two of them entered the daycare room together.

* * *

Aiden stepped into the lab amid the clamor and movement of workers up and off the platform as they reviewed evidence, and worked on other projects as well. He walked toward Temperance's office, noting that she was at her desk, her head down as she concentrated on something. He stepped to the door and gently knocked.

Temperance looked up to see the tall young man at her door and gave him a slight smile. "Agent Fitzgerald." She said, her tone was extremely professional, and a bit distant.

"I'm sorry for interrupting." He said softly, still pausing before he entered the office.

"It's fine, please come in." She said, looking across at him, he could immediately tell that she was upset. He knew how to read Antonia, and from the way that Temperance was watching him, he knew that she was one wrong comment away from snapping. "What can I do for you, Agent Fitzgerald?"

"I was stopping by to see if Charlie had gotten anything in terms of a weapon. I was coming back from the victim's office, and thought I'd stop in personally instead of just calling." He said with a slight smile.

"I'm sure you were hoping to run into Antonia while you were here, and unfortunately there was a..."

"I saw her on my way in. She was um... having a panic attack in the stairwell." He said, cringing a little. He wasn't sure that it was something she'd want her mother to know, and could see from the alarm on Temperance's face that that she was incredibly concerned. "She's alright now, but that was why she didn't answer your phone call earlier. She's okay now." He said seriously, watching her nod. "Antonia doesn't like arguing with you, Doctor Brennan. I think it sends her off kilter a little."

Temperance nodded gratefully. "She could argue with her father until her last breath, but rarely speaks out of turn with me." She said, nodding slightly. "So she told you of what happened with Melody?" Temperance asked.

"She did." He nodded. "I'm glad she was found quickly." He said, smiling toward Temperance, he was happy to see the relief in her eyes.

"Have you completed preparing Antonia's birthday gift?" She asked, standing up.

"Ah, yes." He smiled. "Thank you for your help. She's going to be extremely surprised." He grinned.

"Let's just hope her brother is in town for the festivities." Temperance winked as she walked toward Aiden. "I'll show you where Charles is." She said, leading Aiden through the lab toward the back room. She opened the door to see Charlie standing with a serrated knife in his hand, his eyes focusing on his task. He lifted his focus to his visitors.

"Agent Fitzgerald." Charlie said with a nod.

"Charlie." He smiled, thanking Temperance for bringing him back to the room. "What do we have here?" He asked, stepping toward the table, he pulled at a pair of latex gloves, and began his discussion with the scientist.

* * *

Parker stood staring outside at his two boys chasing one another with sticks, laughing and 'sword fighting' playfully. He opened the window when it seemed to be getting a little out of hand. "Nate, Luke..." He called, gaining their attention. "Put the sticks down, please. I don't want to have to bring anyone to the hospital this afternoon." He called to them, watching them both drop the sticks to the ground.

"Sorry, Daddy." They called sweetly up to him.

"And if you pick those sticks up after I close this window, I'm going to know about it." He said, watching the boys glance to one another. "Go find something less violent to play, please." He said. "I'll be down in a few minutes, maybe we'll take a ride in the canoe."

"Yeah!" The two boys exclaimed excitedly and ran toward the cabin to find something else to do.

Parker closed the window and took a step back, noticing that he was being watched out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see Katherine watching him, a smile on her face as she held a cup of tea in her hand. "You're a very good father, Parker." She said softly.

"Thank you." He said, smiling toward her, he held his hand out to her and she set the mug on the table, reaching for his hand, he pulled her near for a moment, looking into her eyes. "They are good boys." He said, listening to the sound of the screen door on the cabin slam and two sets of feet stomping through the downstairs. "Good boys, but not quiet boys." He said, dropping a kiss on her cheek. "You should go canoeing with us." He grinned.

"I don't know." She said, blushing a little as she smiled at him.

"I'll ask the boys, see what they think." He said happily. "I should check on them before they destroy the cabin." He said, hearing the two rowdy boys chattering as they raided the refrigerator. He headed down the stairs quickly. "Hey, hey!" He exclaimed, laughing as the boys tried to pull juice boxes from the door. "If you drink them all now, you're not going to have any left."

"But if we don't have them anytime, then who is gonna drink them?" Luke asked with a laugh, snatching the juice box that his father handed him.

"Logic strikes again. You've been hanging out with Bones too much." He laughed, as the little boy giggled. "Okay, get your juice boxes and go sit out on the porch, and I'll be right out to get you guys ready for the canoe.

"Is Miss Katie coming too?" Nate asked, his little eyebrow lifting curiously.

"Would you like her to join us?"

"Yes!" The boys said excitedly, watching as the subject of their conversation came walking down the stairs. "Miss Katie! You should come in the canoe with us too!" They exclaimed, watching her smile as she looked over at Parker.

"It's unanimous, you're officially invited." He smiled. "What do you say?" He asked.

She could feel the two little boys tugging her hands as she stood thinking, watching that boyish look in Parker's eyes. "Okay, okay... I'll go with you guys." She said, listening to the happy boys as they cheered and ran to wait for their canoeing partners to get them ready.

"See, that wasn't so bad." Parker said, taking her hand, as they made their way outside, to prepare for their next adventure.


End file.
